SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Residents of a San Francisco building that has flooded twice since June are reporting theft and people going inside their vacant apartments.

On June 10, at 2:27 a.m., Kate Sutherland received a notification. A person had been detected inside her vacant apartment at 33 Tehama.

“Opened the video and I saw a random person just wandering through my unit and taking a video on flash. It sent chills down my spine,” said Sutherland.

The eerie video caught what looked like a person moving slowly in the dark. The building had been vacant for several days after a water main broke and flooded the building. Kate ended her lease four days after this video was recorded.

RELATED: Residents at SF luxury apartment displaced after pipe bursts, flooding all 35 floors

Luz Pena: “How did they explain what happened?”

Kate Sutherland: “They really know how to explain it. They just kept saying that it was unauthorized.”

Kate’s story is the tip of the iceberg. This week another resident captured a contractor using the bathroom inside one of the apartments and taking something on their way out. Hines, the real estate company that owns the building, confirmed the theft that took place Monday, saying in part:

“A contractor who was making repairs in one of the units at 33 Tehama was recorded taking items from the unit. This contractor was terminated immediately.”

In Stephanie Sunwoo’s case, thousands of dollars went missing from her bank account this morning.

“Two fraudulent checks cashed in my account. My bank account both in the amount of over $1,500 each,” said Stephanie Sunwoo, 33 Tehama resident.

RELATED: Residents at flooded San Francisco luxury building may not be able to return home until 2023

Residents of the San Francisco high-rise damaged by a massive water main break may not be able to move back in until late this year or possibly 2023.

Sunwoo says her entire checkbook is inside her nightstand in her vacant apartment.

“It is really alarming to think that somebody is rummaging through my bedroom through my nightstand, grabs a box full of my checkbooks and now I have deep fears of identity theft,” said Sunwoo.

Residents are also reporting theft in the bike room.

“Our bike room was completely looted. There are remains of people’s bikes. Some people’s bikes are completely missing,” said Sunwoo.

Regarding theft, Hines said in part:

“While we haven’t confirmed the validity of these allegations yet, we have temporarily removed all contractor access to resident units while we work on a solution to increase security measures.”

RELATED: Residents report 2nd water leak, presumed theft at luxury SF apartments

And for residents like Maarya Abbasi, these reports make them want to get all of their belongings out of the building fast. She says Hines is making it difficult.

“It just feels like the nightmare that never ends,” said Maarya Abbasi.

Hines is not allowing residents inside the building and is only letting them use movers assigned by Hines.

“That is something I also asked Tehama ‘What is the recourse if our belongings get damaged?’ All I was told was is that we would have to work through our own renters insurance,” said Abbasi.

Hines said they are providing locked storage pods to residents who have scheduled move-outs through the end of the month.

As to bikes getting stolen, they said they don’t know if any bikes have been stolen, but said a large number of bikes were abandoned.

RELATED: New ‘catastrophic’ details reveal what went wrong inside flooded luxury SF apartment building

ABC7 News has learned about new “catastrophic” details into what went wrong inside 33 Tehama luxury apartment building in San Francisco.

We also followed up and asked about the resident who said her checkbook was stolen and they said that’s a police matter.

Statement from Hines about 33 Tehama – August 16, 2022

“It has come to our attention that on August 15, 2022, a contractor who was making repairs in one of the units at 33 Tehama was recorded taking items from the unit. This contractor was terminated immediately. All construction workers at 33 Tehama are licensed, bonded, and insured, and are employees of reputable subcontractors. We have security on the premises 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the safekeeping of our residents’ belongings is our utmost priority.

There are very few allegations of other issues with security in the units. While we haven’t confirmed the validity of these allegations yet, we have temporarily removed all contractor access to resident units while we work on a solution to increase security measures. At a minimum, these measures will include a comprehensive video monitoring system to capture footage while contractors are in residents’ units to safeguard their property in an active construction site.

When we learned that the timeline for reoccupation of 33 Tehama would extend into 2023 and notified residents that they would need to find alternate accommodations, we began working with city officials and local building ownership to secure housing for our most vulnerable residents, which include residents in the 60 below market rate (BMR) units at 33 Tehama. We have had success with the city who responded promptly to the request. We continue to work with local building owners to identify housing solutions for these residents. We are hopeful that San Francisco building owners with vacant BMR units will agree to support these 33 Tehama residents at this time by offering them housing.

Given that the financial and accommodation support for 33 Tehama residents ends tomorrow August 17, we have extended the financial and hotel accommodation support to tenants who meet certain income qualifications until August 31. This is to ensure that they have the resources to secure temporary housing while we continue to work closely with building ownership and in partnership with Supervisor Dorsey and other government officials to find a longer-term solution. “

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

Copyright © 2023 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Video reveals contractor stealing from San Francisco’s vacant 33 Tehama Residences appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process
and policies.
Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility:

Ok!

Map of households without piped water access in the USA, 2013-2017. Note: lighter areas indicate areas with higher numbers of households without piped water. Clusters of plumbing exist in major cities and particular regions across the country. Credit: Katie Meehan.

× close

Map of households without piped water access in the USA, 2013-2017. Note: lighter areas indicate areas with higher numbers of households without piped water. Clusters of plumbing exist in major cities and particular regions across the country. Credit: Katie Meehan.

A team of researchers from King’s College London, the University of Arizona and ECONorthwest has found that an estimated 1.1 million urban people in the U.S. live in homes without proper indoor plumbing. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their analysis of census data for 50 of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and what it showed them about people living without standard indoor plumbing and associated facilities.

In advanced countries such as the U.S., it is assumed that most people have basic amenities such as access to clean water and associated facilities. In this new effort, the researchers have found that is not the case for many people living in some of the biggest cities in the country. In reality, many people, especially minorities, are living without proper indoor plumbing facilities.

The work involved analyzing data obtained by the U.S. Census Bureau, the federal government entity responsible for carrying out nationwide surveys every 10 years. Wanting to know more about access to running water, the researchers focused on data from questions about whether people had access to “complete plumbing” which was described as residences that had both hot and cold running water piped into their home, along with at least one bath or shower. They found that for approximately 500,000 households in large urban areas, the answer was no.

In drilling down further into the data, the researchers found that such households accounted for approximately 1.1 million people. They also found a connection between the wealth gap of a given city and the number of people living without piped water. They found, for example, that percentage-wise, wealthy cities such as San Francisco, Portland and Austin had some of the highest rates of what they describe as plumbing poverty. In looking at sheer numbers, they found New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco had the most people living with plumbing poverty. They also found that race played a role. On average, black people were 35 percent more likely to be living with plumbing poverty than white people. They also found that plumbing poverty was most often found in rented facilities, particularly in mobile homes.

More information:
Meehan et al., Geographies of insecure water access and the housing–water nexus in US cities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2007361117

Journal information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

© 2020 Science X Network

The post Examine reveals over 1.1 million city individuals in US stay in houses with out correct indoor plumbing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Fresh plans for San Francisco’s St. Ignatius College Preparatory School’s campus expansion—dubbed the New Learning Commons—in the Outer Sunset neighborhood have been filed with the city.

The multiphase expansion would demolish a chapel, a dining hall, an administrative office building and a garage at the north end of the campus, which hosts the private Catholic school built in 1969. The campus runs along 37th Avenue between Pacheco and Rivera streets. 

Upon completion, the new campus expansion will be three stories high over a basement level—the same height as the main academic building. It would feature classrooms and assembly spaces hosting many of the same activities held in the demolished buildings.

A new two-story entrance will connect the existing main academic building and the new construction.

A two-story space connecting the main academic building and the new addition will serve as a new entrance.

READ MORE: First Look: San Francisco Towers Could Bring 1,100 Homes

A rendering shows buildings set to be demolished to make way for St. Ignatius’ new campus expansion. | Source: Courtesy Cavagnero AssociatesA rendering shows what the entryway to a new addition to the St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco’s Sunset District will look like when complete. | Source: Cavagnero Associates

READ MORE: Clock Ticking on San Francisco To Take Housing Action or Lose Control

The expansion will also include a two-story open commons with a roof deck, which will bring in natural light and allow the hosting of educational gatherings.

The expansion will require the removal of 13 school parking spaces. A total of 150 new bicycle parking spaces will be added.

The project is expected to cost around $200 million to complete the first phase, and the school expects to have all permits in place by the end of 2024. The school is raising money for the expansion and will build the expansion in phases as it receives funds, according to its website.

“The New Learning Commons will be the most ambitious project in SI’s history.
Once completed, it will enhance traditional, immersive, project- and technology-based learning, and will be a legacy for generations of Wildcats to come,” the school’s website states.

The post San Francisco St. Ignatius Faculty Reveals Off New Campus Plans appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

By Erika Morphy

October 23, 2023 at 07:35 AM

This is not to downplay the problems the neighborhood is facing.

At the end of August, Ikea opened a store in Downtown San Francisco, bucking the stream of retailers fleeing this once much-desired urban neighborhood. Specifically, the three-level, 52,000-square-foot store became the anchor tenant for a new mixed-use development that will also feature office, restaurants and entertainment. The opening wasn’t necessarily a show of support by Ikea for the beleaguered city although it has certainly raised hopes among local officials that the new store will lead to more traffic downtown. Rather, Ikea’s new San Francisco location is part of a larger expansion plan in the U.S. in which it will showcase smaller stores in urban areas instead of the suburbs where it has typically gone. The San Francisco store was among the first to open.  

But the local officials may well be on to something with their hopes for Downtown. A recent report from CBRE also points to reasons for guarded optimism for the neighborhood: Economic rent, which is average rents multiplied by the occupancy rate, is up 26% from the early 2022 trough, it said. 

In fact, there are glimmers of a retail recovery in many  outlying San Francisco neighborhoods, such as the Mission District, where economic rent is up slightly from pre-pandemic levels, it said. Meanwhile, the recovery is even further along in San Mateo, Brisbane and other residential communities along the Peninsula. “This likely reflects home-based workers spending less on Market Street and more at neighborhood cafés,” it said. It may be that that dynamic will change – the Ikea store, for example, is located on Market Street and CBRE said it was possible it would be a harbinger of better times ahead.

None of this is to downplay the serious problems San Francisco retail is facing. Many marquee names have left the area and CBRE notes that “the combination of crime and remote work has driven many young, affluent and highly mobile workers from Downtown San Francisco, taking a heavy toll on retail districts like Union Square.” Retail economic rents in Downtown San Francisco are currently down 14% from 2019 levels, it also observed. 

The post San Francisco Downtown Retail Reveals Glimmers of Life appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Harvey Evans in 2017

Walter McBride/Getty Images

Harvey Evans, an actor, singer and dancer who had a knack for landing roles in the original Broadway productions of such classics as West Side Story, Follies, Hello, Dolly! and Gypsy, has died. He was 80.

Evans died Christmas Eve at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, said Lawrence Leritz, a friend and Broadway actor, dancer, singer, producer and director. “He was dearly loved by the Broadway community. Very kind, embracing, funny and always had a smile on his face. I can never remember not being hugged by this loving man,” Leritz said.

Evans was rarely cast in leading Broadway roles but found a place in timeless shows. He starred opposite Angela Lansbury in Anyone Can Whistle and played Barnaby in Hello, Dolly! opposite Carol Channing, then Betty Grable and then Eve Arden.

“When I look back,” Evans told Playbill in 2007, “I think I’ve had some kind of angel on my shoulder, leading me toward the best shows of Broadway’s golden years. I didn’t pick and choose them — they just came around that way.”

Evans, who was born Harvey Hohnecker, grew up in Cincinnati and fell in love with musical theater after seeing a touring production of “Song of Norway.” “My entire childhood was spent waiting to graduate from high school so I could go to New York and be in a Broadway show,” he told Playbill.

Evans made it to New York in 1955 and would become friendly with choreographers Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins. Evans’ first musical as a dancer on Broadway was New Girl in Town, which starred Gwen Verdon and was choreographed by Fosse.

He changed his name while filming a small role in 1962’s Experiment in Terror directed by Blake Edwards and starring Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. He and fellow actress Taffy Paul decided to remake themselves — he became Evans and she became Stefanie Powers.

Evans also was cast by Fosse for Redhead, with Verdon, and the movie of The Pajama Game. Other highlights were starring on Broadway with Henry Fonda and Margaret Hamilton in a revival of Our Town in 1969 and being a standby for Jim Dale in Barnum in the early 1980s. He was a chimney sweep when Julie Andrews immortalized Mary Poppins on film in 1964.

“I’ve had my name above the title and I’ve had it way down low,” he told Playbill. “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s just wonderful to be part of this community.”

His later Broadway credits include the mid-1990s revival of Sunset Boulevard, The Scarlet Pimpernel and as an understudy in Oklahoma! in 2002. He also snagged a cameo in the film Enchanted with Amy Adams in 2007. He was on Broadway in the original West Side Story and later in the 1961 film version.

“Really hard to put into words what Harvey Evans meant to me,” said Tony Yazbeck on Twitter. “He was kindness personified. So funny and supportive. He came to every show I ever did and inspired me to keep going! A true triple threat who’s heart was as big as his incredible career.”

Bebe Neuwirth added: “One of the kindest, most delightful, loveliest gentlemen I’ve ever had the blessing to know.” Betty Buckley also sent her regards: “With so much love.”

The post Actor in Broadway Reveals ‘West Aspect Story’ and Extra – The Hollywood Reporter appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Lion King North American Tour ©Disney.
Photo by Deen van Meer, courtesy of Broadway SF.

The Bay Area theater calendar is always stacked with exciting performances in San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, and more. We’ve taken a look ahead at the best plays, musicals, and performances coming up in and around SF through the end of 2023.

The fall season brings some crowd favorites including The Lion King at the Orpheum and Guys and Dolls at SF Playhouse. We’re also gearing up for exciting holiday shows including How the Grinch Stole Christmas! with Broadway San Jose, A Christmas Carol at Toni Rembe Theater in SF, and of course SF Ballet’s Nutcracker.

Read on for a thorough list of the most exciting upcoming Bay Area theater performances.

Scene from The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Photo by Ken Howard, courtesy of SF Opera

Through Oct. 7, 2023 at War Memorial Opera House

SF composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell take a closer look at the man who brought the world to our fingertips. This SF Opera performance examines the personal and public life of tech icon Steve Jobs (John Moore), told from Jobs’ own perspective as he faces his own mortality. Enjoy a memorable mix of classical lyricism and techno sounds based on the audio of early computers.

Through Oct. 8, 2023 at Toni Rembe Theatre

“The hippest trip in America” is a groovy musical celebrating the iconic show Soul Train, which brought Black music and dance to the American public. Follow the story of radio DJ Don Cornelius in 1971 Chicago as he put his local dance show on national television. They’ve just added standing dancing room only tickets on both sides of the house, as the audience is encouraged to get up and groove to the music.

Courtesy of Berkeley Playhouse

Through Oct. 15, 2023 at Berkeley Playhouse

Kinky Boots is a Tony-winning musical written by Harvey Fierstein and featuring joyous tunes by Cyndi Lauper. The hilarious screenplay follows the story of Charlie Price, who works to save his father’s shoe factory with the help of cabaret performer and drag queen Lola. After debuting in New York City in 2013 it’s become a favorite of Broadway fans.

Angel Adedokun, Tre’Vonne Bell, and Anna Marie Sharpe in Nollywood Dreams. Photo by Jessica Palopoli, courtesy of San Francisco Playhouse.

Through Nov. 4, 2023 at San Francisco Playhouse

Award-winning Ghanaian-American writer Jocelyn Bioh is the brains behind this touching and funny play set in Lagos, Nigeria in the nineties. Follow aspiring star Ayamma as she tries to make it in the competitive and fast-growing Nollywood film industry, proving herself to Nigeria’s hottest director and his former leading lady, Fayola.

Production Image of Lohengrin, The Royal Opera © 2022 ROH. Photograph by Clive Barda, courtesy of SF Opera.

Oct. 15-Nov. 1 at War Memorial Opera House

SF Opera presents Richard Wagner’s German-language opera about Elsa von Brabant, a woman trapped in a totalitarian society who is being framed for her brother’s murder. A mysterious knight comes to her aid, promising to defend Elsa under an impossible condition: she must marry him without knowing his name.

Anthony Rapp in Without You. Photo by Russ Rowland, courtesy of Broadway SF.

Oct. 19-22, 2023 at the Curran Theatre

Anthony Rapp’s new solo musical is based on his NY Times best-selling memoir of the same name. Follow the story of Anthony at 22 in the nineties as he auditions for the musical RENT, which has yet to become a global phenomenon. The heart-wrenching solo show shares an intimate look into Rapp’s real-life experience starring in RENT while privately reckoning with an unspeakable loss.

Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman, courtesy of Broadway San Jose

Oct. 17-22, 2023 at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Broadway San Jose presents one of the world’s most popular musicals on stage this fall. The Tony-Award winning show tells the story of broken dreams, unrequited love, and sacrifice against a turbulent backdrop of 19th century France. Hear your favorite Les Miz songs including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “One Day More,” and “On My Own.”

Harrell Holmes Jr., Jalen Harris, Elijah Ahmad Lewis, E. Clayton Cornelious, and Michael Andreaus in Ain’t Too Proud. Photo by Emilio Madrid, courtesy of Broadway San Jose

Oct. 31-Nov. 5, 2023 at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Discover the Broadway smash hit musical showcasing the story of The Temptations, a vocal group that made it from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The show opened on Broadway in 2019 and has played sold-out shows throughout the world. Hear classic hits including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”

Nov. 3-Dec. 22, 2023 at Berkeley Playhouse

Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Enchanted is a charming and modern take on the classic fairytale we all know and love. The musical is inspired by the 1997 teleplay staring Brandy and Whitney Houston, with both modern and classical components that bring a perfect blend of nostalgia and excitement.

Mukelisiwe Goba as Rafiki. The Lion King North American Tour ©Disney. Photo by Matthew Murphy, courtesy of Broadway SF

Nov. 22-Dec. 30, 2023 at the Orpheum Theatre

Discover the long-awaited return of Disney’s The Lion King in San Francisco this fall. The world-famous, Tony-winning musical has dominated Broadway since its premiere in 1997 and is a milestone viewing experience for any Broadway fan. Settle in for the memorable score featuring Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the animated film, plus more musical material by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, and Hans Zimmer.

Courtesy of San Francisco Playhouse

Nov. 24-Jan. 14, 2023 at San Francisco Playhouse

This classical musical by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling takes audiences through a swingin’ musical fable set in Damon Runyon’s New York City. It tells the overlapping stories of two high-rolling gamblers and their efforts to bet on love. The musical first premiered on Broadway in 1950 and is now a staple of musical theater.

Nov. 28-Dec. 3, 2023 at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Enjoy a groundbreaking live version of this holiday favorite on its one local stop through the United States. Dr. Seuss’s magical Christmas tale is even more heart-warming live, with impressive Broadway performances of hits like “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas.”

MAMMA MIA! London 2021-2022 cast. Photo by Brinkhoff/Mögenburg, courtesy of Broadway SF

Dec. 5-11, 2023 at Golden Gate Theatre

Dec. 12-17, 2023 at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Celebrate the best of ABBA with this beloved romantic tale set in Greece to the tune of “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trouper,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Voulez-Vous,” and countless other classics. The production has been circulating for the past 25 years and is a beloved part of the musical theater circuit.

Dec. 6-24, 2023 at Toni Rembe Theater

Discover Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic in this wholesome version adapted for the stage. The timeless production has been an annual staple of the American Conservatory Theater in SF for decades and draws faithful audiences every single year. There will be a new version playing in 2024, so this is your final chance to enjoy this classic version at Toni Rembe Theater.

To Kill A Mockingbird, courtesy of Broadway SF

Dec. 12-18, 2023 at Golden Gate Theatre

Golden Gate Theatre will soon play Aaron Sorkin’s award-winning adaptation of this classic piece of literature by Harper Lee. The award-winning play has been called “the most successful American play in Broadway history” by 60 Minutes. The lead role of Atticus Finch will be played by Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas.

Courtesy of SF Ballet

Dec. 13-30, 2023 at War Memorial Opera House

SF Ballet presents the 2023 rendition of Tchaikovsky’s beloved Nutcracker. A dazzling cast of 150 dancers will perform alongside the SF Ballet Orchestra for this holiday classic. See your favorite toy soldiers, King of the Mice, Sugar Plum Fairy, and endless others in a lively and magical performance for the Christmas season.

The post Bay Space Broadway, Theater Exhibits, And Performances In 2023 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The numbers are dispiriting: 68% of art museum workers have considered leaving the field, 74% cannot always cover basic living expenses, and it takes an average of 12 years before a worker receives a promotion. Turnover is high — art museums lost 30% of full-time employees hired between 2020 and 2022 — and rates were especially elevated among those making less than $50,000 a year.

Those are the findings of a new report, “Workplace Equity and Organizational Culture in U.S. Art Museums,” released Thursday morning by Museums Moving Forward (MMF), an advocacy group for equity in the museum sector. This is the first formal study from the group, which was co-founded in 2020 by Mia Locks, a former senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, in collaboration with museum professionals from around the country. And it functions as a qualitative look at equity and workplace culture in museums, large and small, across the United States.

“Simply put, it is not enough to diversify the artists we are collecting or exhibiting; we must take better care of our people too,” the report’s authors write in the executive summary. “Ongoing union negotiations and social media outcries have made clear that the needs of workers are not being met. And, of course, the pandemic made a challenging situation even more dire, as the inequities have become ever more impossible to ignore.”

Museums espouse lots of high-minded ideas about the elevating power of culture, but as workplaces, they leave a lot — a lot — to be desired.

Numerous changes need to be made within. Unaddressed by the report is the external issue of patronage: Museums are largely funded by private philanthropists who are happy to put their names and hundreds of millions of dollars into fancy building projects but become scarce when it’s time to pay the workers.

As Christopher Bedford, then the director of the Baltimore Museum of Art (he’s now at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) told me in 2020: “Every museum director knows that it’s easier to raise money for the sexier initiatives than for the endowment intended to fund operations.”

If museums are going to stop — or at least slow — the staff burnout, that mind-set (along with funding structures) will have to change.

The ICA LA participated in the Museums Moving Forward study on museum work life. Seen here: Christine Sun Kim’s mural “Bounce Back” on the ICA LA building’s facade.

(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Museums Moving Forward surveyed 1,933 staff members from more than 54 institutions. This included major museums such as SFMOMA and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Brooklyn Museum in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In L.A., sadly, participation was weak, with only the Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes choosing to take part in the study.

“Workplace Equity” adds to a growing body of research on museum work life. The Assn. of Art Museum Directors and the American Alliance of Museums publish regular reports that detail museum demographics and outline some of the pressing issues facing museum leadership. But the MMF report is unique in that it surveys leadership and staff to see how these institutions are collectively approaching their missions.

In an analysis of what drives institutional decision-making, for example, 85% of executive leaders said it was the institution’s mission, vision and/or values that served as guide. But when staff were asked that same question, 70% responded that what guides decision-making is “the museum board’s priorities.”

The report offers a laundry list of ways that institutions can improve conditions for their employees, including creating a workers “bill of rights,” offering more transparency around pay and implementing retention plans that include professional development. Another suggestion: “Provide more livable wages that can cover at least the cost of living.”

That last one is critical. Curatorial and other so-called intellectual leadership positions often require multiple advanced degrees, yet frequently pay entry level wages that qualify as low-income according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A salary survey published by the Assn. of Art Museum Directors in July shows that the median pay for a curatorial assistant is less than $51,000 a year; an assistant curator might earn almost $62,000 — salaries that qualify as low income in Los Angeles County.

Unionization campaigns and recent strikes across industries, including the museum field, have made the issue of a livable wage impossible to ignore. In Los Angeles, unionization campaigns have resulted in historic first contracts at MOCA and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures over the last 16 months.

Last October, workers at the Philadelphia Art Museum went on strike over salaries and benefits. “You can’t eat prestige,” one museum worker told NPR. The museum and the labor union reached an agreement shortly thereafter.

A survey of art museum directors published last year by the research firm Ithaka S+R shows “providing a living wage” is a top priority among museum leaders, who are aware that diversity, recruitment and retention efforts rest on this. But as that report also notes, little has changed in terms of how budgets are allocated. Plus, labor already accounts for museums’ biggest operating expense at a time when there is a “heightened uncertainty” around funding.

The union representing workers at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (seen here) ratified its first contract late last month.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

That’s where funding structures come into play.

If the pandemic made anything evident, it’s the intense precarity experienced by public-facing workers at museums: guards, gallery attendants, visitors services associates, education workers and maintenance staff. (Basically everyone who keeps the place running day to day.) Not two weeks after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020, MOCA laid off 97 part-time employees; a month later, the Broad museum, across the street, laid off 130.

Greater public funding could provide some stability to museum workers.

The California African American Museum, for example, is funded by the state and staffers there are state employees, making them eligible for state benefits and pensions. None of the museum’s full-time staff was laid off during the pandemic.

Hybrid public-private partnerships can likewise offer public-facing workers more security, as with the system devised by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which includes the Legion of Honor and the de Young. Like many museums, the FAMSF has a private foundation that raises money to cover exhibitions, acquisitions and curatorial and executive salaries. But it also receives critical public support from the city.

Instead of money, FAMSF gets full-time personnel. The public-facing workers at its museums are city employees and their wages are negotiated by the powerful Service Employees International Union. Like other public employees, they enjoy a range of benefits, including healthcare, paid leave and pensions. When the pandemic struck, no one was laid off. And if someone wants to seek an opportunity at another municipal agency or museum, their time at FAMSF counts toward their years of service.

L.A. museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art receive funds from county coffers: $28 million in 2019, according to the museum’s most recent 990 tax forms. (As my former colleague Mike Boehm once noted in a story, the museum’s most reliable patrons are the county’s 10 million residents.) The funding, however, comes in the form of money, not personnel, which means public-facing employees do not enjoy the job security of their counterparts in San Francisco. When the museum shut down in the early days of the pandemic, LACMA laid off a small group of workers, even as it moved forward with a behemoth $750-million rebuilding plan.

The de Young was one of several San Francisco institutions participating in the Museums Moving Forward study.

(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Where would additional funding come from to support museum workers? Certainly, we should press the private philanthropists, but a better idea might be to tax them.

In her 2022 book, “Museums and Wealth: The Politics of Contemporary Art Collection,” museum studies professor Nizan Shaked suggests levying a marginal tax on secondary art market sales to help fund museums. The price hikes on the resale of works can be stratospheric — think of every headline you’ve ever read about multimillion-dollar works being sold at auction. Now imagine a small tax on those sales going to a public museum fund. The idea, writes Shaked, “is to ensure those who profit from the field pay for its sustainability.”

Whatever the solutions, the problem is one museum boards and patrons can’t afford to put off for much longer. “Art museums are not struggling to find diverse workers,” states the Museums Moving Forward report, “they are struggling to retain them.”

Museums are often described as temples of culture, and as the reports notes, they could be “incredible spaces of collective growth.” But recent labor troubles have revealed institutions that feel less like temples and more like Amazon distribution centers. It’s time to invest — not just in buildings and objects but also in the people who care for them day in and day out.

The post A Museums Transferring Ahead report reveals arts employees struggling appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

As California’s population shrank for a second year in a row, a steady stream of San Franciscans left the city last year, according to a new analysis by The Standard. But many of those erstwhile San Franciscans remained in the state: Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento were the top destinations for people who booked one-way U-Hauls out of town.

Covid sparked a mass exodus from San Francisco that peaked in August 2020, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) data shows. That month, nearly 7,000 more people requested permanent address changes moving away from SF than arrived in the city. After the August 2020 crest, the change of address rate consistently dropped until it reached pre-pandemic levels in May 2021 and stayed steady throughout 2022. 

That steady rate, however, still had thousands leaving the City by the Bay each month last year.

With the new year just beginning, it will be months before official figures show where the most San Franciscans decamped to in 2022. In the meantime, data from moving-truck rental company U-Haul provides insight into trends that are likely to emerge. The company tracks the origin and destination of its one-way truck rentals with the assumption that those customers are in the process of a move.

U-Haul’s data shows that the top five destination cities from San Francisco were all in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose and Sunnyvale. Las Vegas and Reno were the only out of state cities that cracked the top 10, along with Santa Monica, Santa Rosa and Antioch.

Domestic migration out of San Francisco exploded in 2020, but it’s actually long been the norm that SF loses more residents to other American cities than it gains. This mirrors larger trends in California, which lost the most people to domestic migration of any state from July 2021 to July 2022.

San Francisco has historically been a hub for international immigration into the U.S., which sustained the city’s population growth throughout the 2010s, even as many residents left. But immigration to California slowed in the late 2010s due in part to declining birth rates in some of the primary places where people often moved from. That includes Mexico, a significant place of origin for new California arrivals, explained Hans Johnson, a demographer at the Public Policy Institute of California. 

Then, Covid travel restrictions combined with Trump-era policies to clamp down on international immigration in 2020, depriving San Francisco of the thousands who would have typically arrived to take the place of residents moving to other cities. As a result, only one county in the U.S. experienced a larger population decline than San Francisco in 2021.

Baby boomers represent a huge population in California, and as they reached their golden years in the 2010s, many retired. That left gaps in the workforce, many of which were filled by young immigrants.

In recent years, with immigration stymied and residents continuing to leave California, the region’s declining population has exacerbated challenges for business owners looking for workers, Johnson said. The state’s aging population has also led to a dip in the number of new children being born, putting pressure on some cities to shutter sparsely attended neighborhood schools, he added.

But there’s signs that California’s population loss is leveling off, even if it’s not returning to the booms of years past. Recently released census data shows that the number of international immigrants who moved to the state from July 2021 to July 2022 was triple the previous year’s total. It’s not yet a return to pre-Covid levels, but the figures are at least within the same range as before, Johnson said.

The post Hundreds Left San Francisco. U-Haul Exhibits The place They Went appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Census data reveals an unexpected new trend in San Francisco’s so-called “exodus” — a widening educational divide.

One of the biggest demographic shifts in the city since the pandemic began has been the mass departure of residents 25+ who haven’t attended college, per the Chronicle. Even as the city’s population has dropped overall, this sub-demographic is leaving at significantly higher rates.

In the city, since the beginning of the pandemic, the total number of people aged 25 or older with a high school degree or less dropped by 14%, according to the data. Specifically, it plunged from approximately 165,000 in 2019, to around 144,000 in 2021, then further to 142,000 in 2022 (note that census data wasn’t available in 2020 because of the pandemic).

Source: US Census

While SF’s population dropped overall in the same time frame — from 2019, the total population was around 875,000, and in 2022, it was only 834,000, representing about a 5% decrease — the non-college-educated proportion dropped far more than the rest of the population.

In pre-pandemic times, SF was reportedly seeing an increase in its non-college-educated population — as the Chronicle wrote, between 2018 and 2019, it rose by 5,500 people (or 3.5%) — so this represents a significant shift in San Francisco’s population dynamics.

In fact, the change serves as a counterpoint to the narrative that those moving away SF in the exodus were solely overeducated remote tech workers.

The Chronicle attributes the decline of the subpopulation to the pandemic-related shutdowns and the rising cost of living, which prompted both remote white-collar workers and service workers to leave the city for greener, cheaper pastures. Service workers especially have been feeling the squeeze since before COVID, with their numbers declining 32% since 2019 (compared to a 7% nationwide decline over the same time), as the Chronicle reported.

San Francisco’s post-pandemic recovery has obviously been slow, in fact, among the slowest of urban areas in the country, as we’ve previously reported. As of August 13, 2023, total spending by SF consumers is down by 3.9%, compared to January 2020, according to Track the Recovery.

Image via Unsplash/Bia Frenkel.

The post San Francisco’s Non-School-Educated Inhabitants Has Declined Quickly Because the Pandemic, Information Exhibits appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.