A sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccine site in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco on Feb. 8, 2021. California is exempting San Francisco from a rule that takes effect requiring all people to wear masks indoors. Haven Daley/AP hide caption

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Haven Daley/AP

A sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccine site in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco on Feb. 8, 2021. California is exempting San Francisco from a rule that takes effect requiring all people to wear masks indoors.

Haven Daley/AP

The state of California says the city of San Francisco is exempt from the state’s newly reinstated mask mandate — requiring everyone to wear a mask indoors.

San Francisco Department of Public Health said Tuesday the city will continue to allow those who are fully vaccinated to remove their masks in gyms and workplaces, even as the state’s reinstated mandate requires masks to be worn indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The statewide mandate took effect Wednesday.

“This refinement acknowledges the hard work of the people of San Francisco throughout the pandemic, including the ways in which we have maintained reasonable protections heading into the holiday season,” the San Francisco Department of Public Health said in a tweet.

According to the department, about 86% of eligible San Francisco residents have received at least one vaccine dose, with more than 753,000 residents being vaccinated.

So far, California has administered 62 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“It’s a recognition of all of the thought and care that San Francisco residents have been putting into staying as safe as possible,” Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco’s health officer told the Associated Press.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the news of the reinstated indoor mask mandate on Monday as cases of the coronavirus in the state have jumped up 47% in the past two weeks.

State officials had previously lifted the mask mandate on June 15 for residents who were vaccinated.

“We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy. Frankly, I am too,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly told the AP. “That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work.”

The statewide indoor mask mandate is scheduled to last until at least Jan. 15, 2022.

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San Francisco this week was the last, and perhaps largest, city in the US to ban natural gas in new buildings.

In a meeting on Tuesday, the city’s board of directors passed a law that stipulates the construction of new residential and commercial buildings for the exclusive use of electrical energy, starting with projects that submit permits in the next year. This ordinance will cover about 60% of the city’s current development pipeline to reduce the city’s carbon footprint and tackle climate change, District 8 supervisor Rafael Mandelman said at the meeting.

“San Francisco has long been taking climate change seriously, and today – after another catastrophic fire season, record streak of unhealthy days, extreme heat waves, and even a day when the sun didn’t rise – we San Franciscans have the opportunity to do another incremental but important step to take to save our planet, “he told his colleagues at the meeting.

The board’s unanimous vote concludes nearly a year of deliberations with the Zero Emissions Building Taskforce, said Mandelman, which brought together affordable housing and mixed-use developers, architects and engineers, labor and construction trades and community officials to draft the legislation. It complements the approval of the city’s electrical preference ordinance passed last fall, which calls for higher energy efficiency standards for natural gas buildings, and an ordinance passed earlier this year mandating the all-electric construction of new municipal projects.

The vote also adds San Francisco to the growing list of nearly 40 California cities to enact such ordinances since Berkeley’s historic ban on natural gas infrastructure in July 2019. Experts say San Francisco’s move could carry enough weight to overturn similar laws from cities like Los Angeles, and could even push Governor Gavin Newsom, D, into nationwide action.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is currently considering updates to its Title 24 building energy efficiency standards, Earthjustice Staff Attorney Matt Vespa said. As a former mayor, Newsom has a very special relationship with San Francisco, which could inspire him to follow suit with the city, Vespa said.

“We really expect the governor’s leadership on this issue,” said Vespa. “Hopefully San Francisco is signaling that San Francisco is doing this, the governor, that the time has come to really address this issue as part of their climate agenda.”

Arguments for fully electric construction in California

Residential and commercial buildings are responsible for approximately 25% of California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the California Air Resources Board. Senate Bill 32 requires California to cut its statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels over the next 10 years, and some argue that the building sector should be the primary target of those efforts.

Part of this argument is based on the flammability of natural gas. In an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle, Mandelman and retired fire chief Joanne Hayes-White said there are more than 75 gas leaks or emergencies reported every hour in California, an incredible risk in a state that has seen some of the hottest temperatures.

“Firefighters and first responders know the incredible amount of effort it takes to contain even a relatively small incident. As we face a number of historic forest fires and heat waves, and on top of a global pandemic that is already weighing on our emergency response measures, the last thing we need to be is to add to the threats we face, “it says the contribution.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the utility that supplies almost the entire state of California, is helping the move to all-electric new builds. In a June letter to the CEC, a PG&E executive said the utility “welcomes the opportunity to avoid investing in new gas facilities that may later prove underutilized as local governments and the state work together to set long-term decarbonization goals reach”.

With the CEC considering embedding an all-electric construction mandate in its 2022 update, Mandelman hopes San Francisco can serve as a model to overcome inevitable obstacles such as the transition of plumbers and pipe fitters in the gas industry. Mandelman said he worked closely with Local 38, the regional plumbers and pipeline builders union, to outline a just transition for these workers amid the San Francisco ordinance.

“This commitment will ensure our workforce can look forward to a future in which ongoing environmental initiatives are coupled with opportunities for good union jobs in San Francisco,” he said at the board meeting.

Mandelman also stressed how a move to all-electric building can be gradual to ensure industries don’t become overloaded. The San Francisco ordinance contains two provisions that specifically address concerns about the city’s gastronomy, which is particularly challenged at this time of “extraordinary uncertainty,” he said. These regulations allow projects, including a commercial kitchen space, to submit mixed-fuel building permits by 2022. The regulation also provides for an “ongoing waiver process” for new restaurant buildings where gas is essential or electrical alternatives are not feasible.

“I believe this limited restaurant waiver will allow the continued use of gas in new buildings in the future where appropriate and necessary for a particular restaurant, while ensuring that we are clear and determined about the move in San Francisco start with natural gas. ”said Mandelmann.

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CONCORD (KPIX) – Contra Costa County’s housing lawyers warn property owners are using loopholes in the state’s eviction moratorium to force tenants out of their homes.

“It’s a myth that there is full protection and that there are no evictions,” says Kristi Laughlin, who works for the charitable path to living.

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The organization held a march and rally in support of Manuel Caballero and his family, who moved out of their Concord apartment on Friday evening.

“It’s very hard. My kids cried yesterday because we were moving. They said where are my clothes? Where are my stuff?” says Caballero, who worked as a wedding and event photographer until the pandemic.

Caballero says when his photo business dried up, he slipped back on his rent in August last year. He and his wife have four children between 12 and four months.

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The state’s eviction moratorium should have protected him from being forced out of his home for not paying rent. State lawmakers drafted the eviction moratorium to protect tenants from the financial consequences of the pandemic.

However, Caballero said the owners of his apartment had told him they were removing the property from the rental market, essentially depriving him of the protection of the state moratorium.

A lawyer representing the owners tells KPIX 5 that its clients have negotiated a settlement in which Caballero and his family agreed to leave the apartment by April 30th. The attorney says his clients are small mom and pop owners and Caballero’s inability to pay his rent jeopardizes their ability to pay their mortgage.

Caballero says he hasn’t found a new apartment for his family. Housing lawyers have raised money to temporarily stay in a hotel room.

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“You grew up there. My children were there for ten years, ”said Caballero.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – More than a year after the state closed completely amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic, California officials announced Tuesday that all COVID-19 restrictions would be lifted due to vaccine distribution and a continued decline in new hospital stays nationwide on June 15th.

“In anticipation and expectation that we will do all of this, and I will repeat it – continue to wear face covers, continue to have access to vaccines, and continue to administer vaccines in a fair manner. If we keep up the pace, we will now go beyond the (reopening) blueprint, ”said Governor Gavin Newsom at a press conference in San Francisco on Tuesday morning.

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“We announce today that on June 15th we will go beyond the blueprint and get rid of the colored layers. We’re moving past the dimmer. We’re going to get rid of the blueprint as you know it today. That is on June 15th when we continue the good work. “

The announcement means 40 million Californians can finally return to a new normal. Business offices can be fully reopened, as can restaurants, bars, churches, cinemas, sports and entertainment venues and any other business that has struggled to survive under the severe restrictions. In addition, all schools and universities would be reopened for personal instruction.

“With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our animal system and try to fully reopen the California economy,” said Newsom. “We can now start planning our life after the pandemic.”

Dr. State Health and Human Services’ Mark Ghaly said Californians must continue to wear masks and avoid gatherings where they believe they may come into contact with the disease.

“It is our job now not to announce the completion of the mission, not to suppress our watch, but to continue the vigilance that has brought us to where we are today, with the lowest fall rates in America,” added Newsom. “We see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.”

In a conference call Tuesday morning, Ghaly announced that the state had distributed 20 million vaccinations – 4 million among the groups hardest hit by the disease. This sum is 7.2 million more than any other state and ranks 6th in the world.

“California has made incredible strides in fighting the spread of COVID-19 by staying home, masking, and quickly distributing vaccines to Californians in every corner of the state, including the communities hardest hit by the pandemic “said Ghaly.

70 percent of older Californians received at least one dose.

“Hospital stays have steadily decreased,” he said. “And luckily there are really few deaths.”

On April 15, all Californians aged 16 and over can receive vaccination doses. According to Ghaly, officials have set a time window of 8 1/2 weeks from that date to prepare for the large-scale reopening and to monitor any possible surges that could delay it.

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He said state health officials were also closely monitoring several new variants of the virus discovered in California and carefully monitoring new hospital admissions.

“Hospital stays are stable and low,” said Ghaly. “We watch who is admitted to the hospital. Whether they have been vaccinated or not … We are monitoring the new variants … We are confident of what we see. “

Newsom repeated these feelings.

“We now have a 1.6% positivity rate nationwide over a seven-day period,” he said. “We are reporting 1,367 cases today; still widespread, still deadly, still challenging. “

The state will also ditch its 31-week blueprint for the reopening of the color level, which is so familiar to all Californians.

“The state will transition to the new status as a whole,” said Ghaly. “There will be no more steps.”

Like weaving through a maze, getting a vaccine appointment was a challenge for many, even if it was an option weeks ago.

“It’s completely random. I tried to get an appointment for a week or two. I jumped on yesterday and I got it, ”said Scott Abbott, a San Francisco resident.

Vaccinated or not, the urge to reopen fully has been questioned by some.

“I understand the economy has to open up, but I’m still very skeptical of the variations,” said Akfahay Gadegone, a San Francisco resident.

Currently, Alameda, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo counties have moved up to the Orange tier. It was announced Tuesday that Contra Costa, Napa, and Sonoma counties will move to Orange Tier on Wednesday morning, while only Solano County in Red Tier in the Bay Area remains.

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Napa is just one of 16 California counties that will move to less restrictive status as of Tuesday’s announcement.

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