Elon Musk said Twitter’s headquarters would stay in San Francisco.LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Elon Musk is encouraging workers to move to San Francisco to help the city survive its doom loop.

• The billionaire said Twitter’s headquarters would remain in the city despite its ongoing struggles.

• Other tech companies, including Meta, Snap, and Salesforce, have reduced office space in the city.

Elon Musk is encouraging people to move to San Francisco and work there because he says the “city can’t survive” unless it overcomes the urban doom loop.

The billionaire owner of Twitter tweeted on Monday that it was “important for more people to come to work in San Francisco or the rest of the city can’t survive.”

Musk recently had the Twitter sign removed from Twitter’s headquarters in San Fransisco. The company recently changed its logo to X, and a giant sign was put on top of the building that has irritated some neighbors.

Musk tweeted on Sunday that he wouldn’t move Twitter’s headquarters out of the city despite ongoing reports about the city’s deterioration.

He wrote in the tweet: “Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco. Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving. Therefore, they expect X will move too. We will not.

“You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”

The urban doom loop refers to negative beliefs about a city deterring people from living there and causing those issues to proliferate. San Francisco is struggling with a huge homeless population and increased crime, including theft and assault, according to retailers.

In May, Musk said that downtown San Francisco was a “once beautiful and thriving” area but that it had become a “derelict zombie apocalypse.”

The city has seen retailers such as Walgreens, Whole Foods, Anthropologie, and Nordstrom close stores because of rising crime and concerns about employee safety. Critics said these store closures were also a result of changing consumer-shopping habits and retailers closing pricier locations.

Major tech firms such as Meta, Snap, Salesforce, and Paypal have also reduced office space in the city because employees continued to work from home after the pandemic.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Let’s say you You want to take a tour of San Francisco at its warmest, most energetic. You want to see the port city after the Gold Rush swelled foggy backwaters to become the largest city west of the Mississippi—back when it was home to the West Coast’s tallest buildings and beautiful brick architecture. You want to see San Francisco as it was before the Golden Gate Bridge filled California’s great gap, when escaping the peninsula meant waiting for the ferry.

So you travel back to April 18, 1906, and with a big day ahead of you, you arrive in the early hours of the morning while most of the city is still asleep and gas lamps provide the only light.

After completing your research, begin your tour at the site of the city’s founding: Mission San Francisco de Asís, also known as Mission Dolores, founded when Spanish missionary Francisco Palóu arrived on the sandy, hilly, isolated peninsula in 1776.

When Francisco named the church, he named it after nearby Dolores Creek. This may surprise you, because you don’t see a stream. But the old creek bed lies there, under the foundations of churches, stockyards and houses, buried under a mixture of turf and rubbish thrown into the swampy area by pioneers for building on. As you take in the scene at exactly 5:12 a.m., you feel a sharp, sudden jolt beneath your feet.

It’s amazing.

It’s harmless.

It’s a warning.

you have to walk

The jerk is a foreshock. It is the first energy wave to penetrate the earth’s crust and heralds the main event, which in this case is the largest earthquake ever to strike a major US city. Testimony from survivors suggests the foreshock arrived about 30 seconds before the actual tremors began, meaning you have about 30 seconds to take shelter before a magnitude 7.9 quake shakes a city that’s been completely wiped out unprepared for it. Many buildings collapse. Almost every building suffers serious damage. Bricks, steeples, balconies and towers rain down on the streets below. water pipes burst. Gas lines explode and almost everything that isn’t shaken to its foundations burns in a four-day firestorm. In terms of the number of lives lost to natural disasters in the US, the 1906 quake is comparable only to the 1900 hurricane in Galveston, Texas. In terms of economic damage, there is no comparison. Over the next four days, three quarters of the city will be reduced to rubble and ash. At least 200,000 people are homeless. More than 3,000 die.

But that all comes later.

If you feel the foreshock, you’ll have to get off the road because you’re surrounded by buildings of dubious construction, their foundations shaking on an old pioneer rubbish pit. But strangely enough, the safest way is to get inside one. The only place more dangerous than inside a rickety building is next to it, because in 30 seconds almost all of the city’s chimneys, steeples and domes will collapse onto the streets below.

Of course, you shouldn’t just run into any building. Use your 30 seconds and consider your options: barns, factories, stockyards, and other buildings with large open spaces and few interior walls are more likely to collapse than residential buildings. (In 1906, nearly all warehouses in San Francisco collapsed.) Instead, look for houses, offices, or apartments—anything with lots of interior walls.

Avoid brick buildings and the structures next to them. Unlike timber-frame structures, brick buildings shatter rather than sway, and they often throw off walls rather than collapse, saving those inside but posing great risks to those beneath. Many of the fatalities, including San Francisco Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan, occurred when a building collapsed onto the roof next door.

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On its face, the effort to recall San Francisco Dist. atty Chesa Boudin is a debate about how a relatively small, atypical city battles crime, a philosophical dispute about how often to lock up offenders and the relative success of efforts to divert nonviolent criminals into treatment programs that keep them out of jail.

In reality, the recall is a battle over facts versus feelings, a case study in the power of millionaires to set a political agenda, a lesson on the limits of enacting reform through progressive prosecutors and the difficulty of changing the status quo.

That’s why the June 7 referendum on Boudin holds significance far beyond the 47 square miles of San Francisco, where violent crime rates are near historic lows, viral videos of smash-and-grabs and the twin crises of homelessness and drug deaths notwithstanding.

Since his upset victory, Boudin has made the establishment uneasy: Yale-educated public defender, son of imprisoned Weather Underground leaders, relative newcomer and political novice in a city where politics is a blood sport and people proudly trace their local lineage back generations. He emerged from obscurity in 2019 to campaign on a detailed platform that promised to upend a system that disproportionately prosecutes black and brown people.

As Democrats across the country face voters’ fears about rising crime rates, many have retreated from reforms — including Los Angeles Dist. atty George Gascón, who faces a likely recall himself later this year. Boudin has instead implemented the ideas that got him elected: Jail as a last resort. No cash bail or gang enhancements. Not prosecuting juveniles as adults. Charges against police who use excessive force. Increased victim services. Review of lengthy sentences handed down under obsolete laws during the war on drugs. Charges against employers for wage theft.

Boudin’s policies have won him newspaper endorsements, but he faces an uphill battle in the recall election. His core mission — to rethink crime and punishment — is a jolt to the status quo at an already fragile moment. The rush to blame him for myriad long-standing ills has resonated amid the frustrations and anger at all the life-altering changes of the last two years. Tragedies and mistakes are easy to exploit, especially in the wake of a pandemic that has exacerbated the city’s glaring inequality, upset its economic base of tourism and tech, and heightened fears of crime.

His agenda does not lend itself to sound bites, while the reverse is true for his opponents. Allowed to collect donations in unlimited amounts, they have spent millions, first to pay signature gatherers to get the recall on the ballot and now on a television advertising blitz.

The names on the five- and six-figure contributions on file with city and state agencies — a who’s who of tech, finance and real estate moguls — signal the extent to which those accustomed to exerting influence in the city view Boudin’s agenda as a threat . Executives with Blockchain, Lyft, Y Combinator, Grove Capital, Twin Tree Ventures, Route One Investment, Prime Finance, Initialized Capital. The three largest contributors have been the California Assn. of Realtors, Shorenstein Realty and Republican billionaire William Oberndorf.

Boudin, whose parents spent decades in prison for their role as getaway drivers in a 1981 robbery that ended with three shot dead, is an easy figure to caricature and a convenient target in a city grappling with visible, intractable problems — spreading homeless encampments, record drug overdose deaths, increased burglaries, gun violence and car break-ins.

The recall attempt also illustrates a lesson with national ramifications about the limits of relying solely on reform prosecutors to enact change.

District attorneys have enormous power; they alone decide what charges to file. That unchecked power has ripple effects in a system where most cases never go to trial. If prosecutors overcharge, they have more leverage to get plea bargains. If they seek diversion, fewer people end up behind bars. If they prosecute police officers, that conduct becomes subject to public scrutiny.

But a district attorney trying to change the country’s reliance on incarceration has little or no control over either the key drivers of the problem or the infrastructure that could help solve it. City, county and state officials determine housing policy, drug and mental health treatment options — all the ancillary services needed to reshape a world where the county jail is often the largest provider of drug and mental health counseling and the largest homeless shelter. In many ways, the recall is a proxy battle for how a liberal city deals with poverty.

Boudin was not naïve about the challenges, both internal and external.

“In many ways, getting here tonight was the easy part,” he warned amid the cheers the night of his victory party. “What comes next is essential …. We have our work cut out for us. This is not going to be easy.”

But he reckoned without a pandemic that shut down the city and transformed patterns of crime. He could not have anticipated the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in a city almost one-third Asian. He expected to have four years, which might be just enough time to show that his policies could reduce recidivism rates, one of the clearest measures of criminal justice success.

Nor do facts carry weight the way they once did. It is not only the far right that has embraced the idea that truth is what you think it is, that facts are what you experience. Recall supporters mock data that shows that crime is down; they post photos of broken car windows and ask, are you going to believe statistics, or your own eyes? Boudin, whose crusade is proving that locking up more people does not make the rest of us safer, makes an attractive target.

Here are some facts.

According to FBI and San Francisco police statistics, overall crime — and violent crime — has decreased from 2019 to 2022. Homicide increased from a historic low, but less steeply than in nearby jurisdictions with traditional law-and-order prosecutors.

The jail population in San Francisco dropped by about 40% since Boudin took office, a decrease spurred by the urgency of COVID-19 but maintained as the pandemic subsided.

Boudin has charged crimes presented by police — who are making arrests in only about 8% of the crimes reported — at roughly the same levels as his predecessor, but he has sent more cases to diversion courts that allow offenders to avoid criminal prosecution if they successfully complete programs.

Those are nuanced messages to impart amid a blizzard of television ads that blame the city’s ills on a wide-eyed radical who lets dangerous criminals roam the streets. Crimes make headlines; Success stories are less well-known, and perhaps of less import to those pouring millions of dollars into the recall. A man wrongfully convicted of murder and freed after 32 years was front-page news. But not the 58 San Franciscans, serving lengthy prison sentences they would not receive today, resentenced and sent home with reentry plans and regular visits from a social worker. (Only two have been arrested, according to the DA’s office.)

Like much of the country, San Francisco is struggling to find a post-pandemic equilibrium, complicated by its reliance on tourism that has dried up and tech companies that have gone remote. Two-thirds of the workers have not returned to offices. San Francisco International Airport, once one of the busiest in the country, has regained barely half its pre-pandemic volume. The median sale price for a home was $1.6 million in April, while the city spent millions on a tent village for the homeless that has filled United Nations plaza in the shadow of City Hall.

If Boudin’s grassroots campaign to keep his job beats the odds, he will have a reprieve of 18 months to make his case before the next election, and a bully pulpit to leverage the notoriety of San Francisco for national reform.

If the status quo triumphs, his enemies will have to find a new scapegoat for the anguishes of a divided city in the throes of reinvention.

Miriam Pawel is the author, most recently, of “The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation.”

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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 7: Ambry Thomas # 20 of the San Francisco 49ers defends during the game … [+] against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on November 7, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 31-17. (Photo by Michael Zagaris / San Francisco 49ers / Getty Images)

Getty Images

The San Francisco 49ers face another high leverage game to secure a playoff spot and run low in a key group.

San Francisco faces a challenging street game in Week 14 with another playoff contender, the Cincinnati Bengals, in a match between two teams whose postseason hopes have been tarnished by post-season losses. The 49ers were stunned in a wild game by the Seattle Seahawks while the Bengals suffered a home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

It was a painful loss for the Niners, who sustained further injuries in Seattle. While rewinding, Elijah Mitchell suffered a concussion that ruled him out along with a knee problem against Cincinnati. Emmanuel Moseley suffered an ankle sprain while pressing the pause button on a stellar campaign for the cornerback.

Mitchell’s absence, which would be made worse if Deebo Samuel – listed as questionable – is unable to return from an Achilles tendon problem, is a blow to the running game. However, San Francisco managed 9.5 yards per passing game last week and managed to move the offensive even without an efficient rushing attack.

More worrisome is Moseley’s loss, compounded when backup Dontae Johnson was ruled out on Saturday on a personal matter.

The Niners have a choice of two rookies, Ambry Thomas for the third round and Deommodore Lenoir for the fifth round, to start opposite Josh Norman.

Thomas has played mostly on special teams this season while Lenoir, who impressed when he stepped into action earlier in the season, was on the bench after Week 3 and his lack of time on the field against Seattle was evident when he played DK Metcalf. gave up a downfield reception, was suspended for a pass disruption in the red zone and suffered a touchdown for D’Wayne Eskridge after filling the gap left by Moseley’s injury.

Choosing between Thomas and Lenoir is not an enviable task for the Niners as their defenses prepare to face one of the most talented receiving corps in the NFL.

The Bengals rank a disappointing 20th in expected points added per game in offense, according to rbsdm.com, but the effects of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd’s trident are bettered by Cincinnati’s 8th in the NFL in Explosive. illustrates pass rate, per Sharp Football Stats.

San Francisco is 19th allowed in the NFL in Explosive Pass Rate and now has razor-thin depth in an area of ​​the team that was already considered a weakness.

Either Thomas or Lenoir will be thrown into the fire and there isn’t much reason for the Niners to trust the man who starts on the other far corner. Norman has had significant reporting issues consistently since joining the team in September.

The 49ers’ defense has improved in the last four games and is now in seventh place in the DVOA, which is weighted by Football Outsiders. It is unclear whether this improvement can be sustained without Moseley, whose reliability in reporting contributed significantly to these positive steps.

Against a still extremely vulnerable offensive line of the Bengals, which ranks 27th in the adjusted sack rate of Football Outsiders, the 49ers can rely on the defensive front, the depth of which is in stark contrast to that of the defensive backcourt to their fragile secondary side to protect.

There is no doubt, however, that either Thomas or Lenoir will at some point receive a severe test from the fearsome reception trio of the Bengals. In a game that FiveThirtyEight ranks as the most important of Week 14 in the playoff race, whoever the Niners choose to start in Moseley’s place is imperative to take on the challenge.

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Every city is defined to some extent by its reputation. When you hear about Los Angeles, you probably imagine the smog-darkened vistas, movie stars, traffic jams, and warm beaches that make the “City of Angels” more than just a place, but an idea. When you hear the name Detroit you are probably imagining the auto industry and its ultimate collapse, which in turn collapsed the city of Detroit itself.

But what about San Francisco? Everyone seems to have a different definition of City by the Bay, and frankly that’s understandable because one of the real defining features of San Francisco – more than the fog, hills, or cable cars – is its dynamism.

San Francisco is a city that is shaped by change.

If New York is the city that never sleeps, San Francisco is the city that never settles. In the 1950s, beat poets revolved around City Lights in North Beach. The 1960s brought the hippies to the Haight with an emphasis on progressive politics, uninhibited personal expression, and free love. The accepting atmosphere cultivated in the city in the 1960s made San Francisco a natural capital for the LGBT community, who helped shape the city in the 1970s, led by gay rights icon and activist Harvey Milk. This pattern of reinvention continues in San Francisco to this day.

But not all changes are created equal.

San Francisco is attractive for its ability to change, and depending on who you speak to, you will witness people reminisce, contemplate, and long for a San Francisco of yesterday – a San Francisco that roams through the world The city’s inability to stagnate has been wiped out. Every San Franciscan seems to have his very own San Francisco, safe from constant change, lives and develops perfectly in his head. But reality can undermine our ambitions for a perfect life in a perfect city created by an interpretation of history shaped in our own idealized self-image.

The technicians are no different in this regard. They came to San Francisco to write their own piece of San Francisco History, but their era is different from the others that preceded it. The main difference is that City Hall welcomed the technology explosion, where the social movements and migrations that had occurred before were more organic and had much less collateral damage.

As the new wave of tech companies began to show interest in San Francisco, then-Mayor Ed Lee seemed to be concentrating all of the city’s resources on helping the arrival of these companies and, by extension, their workers. All other aspects of life in San Francisco seemed inferior to the tech giants who decided to make San Francisco an extension of the tech core that already existed in the suburbs of South Bay, better known as Silicon Valley Meaning. This, coupled with San Francisco’s notoriously tough building policy, resulted in a spike in home prices that resulted in a massive crowding out of both the working class and the weirdos that made San Francisco what it was.

The tech workers who settled in San Francisco did not find the advanced tech utopia they had hoped for. Instead, they found an extreme disparity between the haves and the haves that affected every San Franciscan, no matter what tax bracket they belonged to. The argument people make for gentrification is that it makes neighborhoods better by making them safer and cleaner. Many argue that the price increase is a result of the increased attractiveness as an area appreciates, but this was not the case in San Francisco. As more technicians came, the apartments got more expensive and the situation on the street got worse. Almost every flyover became a homeless camp. People begged for change on the streets, property crimes skyrocketed, and national news programs about dystopia on the streets of San Francisco were broadcast almost daily when one-bedroom apartments in former working-class neighborhoods like the Mission District cost about $ 3,500 a month .

This trend did not stop in San Francisco either. It spreads its tentacles across the entire Bay Area. Cities like Oakland, once considered an affordable alternative to San Francisco, have been hit just as hard, if not harder, by gentrification. Working class suburbs like Concord, Vallejo, Hayward, Richmond, and Antioch all saw average house prices soar above $ 500,000.

So why stay

Many Bay Area residents have grappled with this question their entire lives. But for me and many others, it’s because the Bay Area is home. I was born in Walnut Creek and have lived in Daly City, Oakland, Martinez, Vallejo, and Concord. I’ve never spent much time in a city more than 30 miles from San Francisco – it’s my mother’s hometown. It’s where my father lived when he came to California from Texas. My mom still proudly tells people about her Mission District roots. And you can’t get my uncle to shut up about his party days at the Excelsior. So much of my life is connected to San Francisco, and much of my identity comes from San Francisco and the cities that surround it.

So how do we keep San Francisco and the Bay Area a place for everyone?

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this question, so I can only share mine. Superficial mantras of support will only get us this far – we need legislative action. A brave move would be to tax landlords on vacant properties. Any property that is vacant for more than 90 days has to face a litany of fines. We should also encourage landlords to offer long term leases at affordable monthly rates with things like tax credits. Inequality, not just in terms of income but also education, is another factor that is rapidly changing the Bay Area. The local economy will likely continue to be dominated by the tech industry, but it doesn’t have to be that bad. If local governments work with private companies to provide technical education to Bay Area locals who may not have a college degree and put them in a position where they can compete economically with the average tech brother, then it may not so tense. While these ideas are not among my most radical, I think they are the most realistic. And in these dire times, realistic progress is a good thing. Just blaming tech people didn’t work … and, in a way, they’re victims, too.

Tech workers, many of whom just wanted a good job in a great city, became Public Enemy No. 1. Many of these techies were between 22 and 35 years old and came to the Bay Area with good intentions. Despite these good intentions and high-paying tech jobs, their quality of life was much lower than one would expect from a person earning a six-figure salary. Tech workers paid the highest dollar for their car broken into in a city that made it very clear that they hated them. But they stayed because San Francisco had positioned itself as the IT hub of the universe, and it seemed like nothing about that would change anything. But typical of San Francisco, if it looks like nothing’s going to change, then it does.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit and the viability of office work has been called into question. Many tech workers started working from home, and that enabled tech companies to move beyond the dysfunction of modern day San Francisco. This change put San Francisco in a precarious position, unlike the previous changes. When a city neglects its poor, sacrificing its artists entirely for an industry that began to flee at the first sign of trouble, one must ask what will San Francisco leave behind? Will someone want to live in a city that has effectively alienated everyone?

There is no question that San Francisco can and will survive the pandemic and is likely to recover better than most American cities. Even though many tech workers have left, there will still be a tech base in town for the foreseeable future. Even artists will still jump blindly into the fog and, unfortunately, be chewed up and spat out by a city that seems indifferent to their existence. And as long as cars need oil changes, lawn mowing and food served, the working class will continue to fight.

But after all that has happened to gentrification, technology, inequality, and now a global pandemic, can San Francisco survive on its reputation alone? Can a place that denies everyone’s needs be a place for everyone?

Can San Francisco Survive Itself?

Abraham Woodliff is an Oakland-based writer and founder of the popular Bay Area Memes account on Facebook and Instagram.

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Worrying gray whale deaths along the Pacific coast two years ago appear to have continued into 2020, raising concerns that the ocean giants’ celebrated boom may not be safe.

Once near extinction, the whales are dying from a combination of killer whale attacks, ship attacks and starvation. Scientists aren’t sure why these hazards led to a sharp increase in deaths, but they believe this is related to disruptions in marine conditions caused by climate change.

As the whales swim past California this winter, marine biologists are watching an unprecedented migration between the Arctic and Mexico to see if the worrying trend will continue for another year. Some fear that ocean changes will pose an ever greater challenge to the cherished Titan, and could affect its future in the long term.

“We may have a few years where the death rate is lower,” said Pádraig Duignan, chief pathologist at the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands who performed necropsy of the whales. “But I expect such events to happen more often than in the past.”

In 2020, 172 whales were found washed up on beaches along the west coast of North America, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 79 were in the United States, 88 in Mexico, and five in Canada. The numbers were only slightly lower than the 214 in 2019.

While some stranded whales are common during the annual whale migration, the recent numbers are not normal. For every whale found dead, the scientists estimate that five to ten more whales die unnoticed. Most sink to the bottom of the ocean or decompose without landing.

In 2019, when the surge in deaths was first observed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared an “Unusual Mortality Event,” a label that money and researchers pointed to the problem. A team of federal and academic investigators continues to try to learn more about why the whales are dying.

Gray whales were once common in the northern hemisphere. Today they are found in only two different population groups: a small group on the coasts of China, Korea and Russia and the recreational group that travels up and down the west coast every year.

Both populations were critically endangered a century ago, but international protection and the ban on commercial whaling are credited with saving the species. It is believed that the North American group has now grown to nearly 27,000 animals. The 50-foot beasts, which weigh 90,000 pounds and can live for 80 years, have become a popular spectacle for coastal visitors to the Bay Area.

The concern, however, is that increasing disruption to the marine environment could undo decades of progress.

“When the population changes, it can happen dramatically and quickly,” said Duignan. “The whales are fine now, but if something more drastic happens the population could crash.”

Observations and autopsies by Duignan and other scientists reveal a handful of causes of death for the whales. However, poor nutrition often underlies the animal’s condition, and when it did not result in death, it sometimes contributed to it.

For example, if a gray whale succumbs to a killer whale, it could be that the whale is not healthy enough to defend itself or its calf, Duignan said. A collision with a ship could be the result of a whale moving to new places to find food, such as San Francisco Bay, where it is more likely to be exposed to human activity.

This breach was discovered in 2017 by a gray whale just off the coast of Moss Beach on the coast of San Mateo County during a whale watching trip from Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.

Chris Biertuempfel / Oceanic Society 2017

Most of the scientists’ observations and autopsies were conducted in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic limited research and collaboration over the past year. However, those involved in the work say their thinking stays the same: the whale’s poor health is likely linked to stress caused by the ocean caused by climate change.

The biggest problems are in the Arctic, where the whales spend their summers feeding.

There they rely on shrimp-like crustaceans known as amphipods, which they eat from the sea floor. However, these amphipods can become less numerous and less nutritious. The algae that the amphipods eat and that grow on sea ice before falling to the seabed become scarcer as the ice retreats in warmer temperatures. As a result, the amphipods are not as robust and the whales are not getting the meals they are used to.

Higher ocean temperatures in the Pacific have also changed the distribution of the whale’s other prey, which includes plankton, ghost shrimp and crab larvae, and fish that share their prey. Both affect a gray whale’s diet.

“Warmer water is generally not good for productivity,” said Sue Moore, a University of Washington scientist who studies whales in the Alaskan Arctic and is part of the team that studies deaths. “The (new) prey may have less fat and may be less nutritious. The whale’s body condition will show signs of it and if they are female they may not be able to give birth to a calf. “

The whales’ weakened condition also makes them more prone to disease, Moore said.

“Is that enough to trigger the (mortality) event? I don’t know, ”she said.

Fortunately, the whales are very resilient, added Moore. They are able to switch to new food sources and change their migrations to look for food. This helps them withstand the changing ocean and hold out on their 10,000 mile round trip that takes them back to the Baja California lagoons, where they give birth and spend part of the winter.

The deaths eerily resemble a spike in whale deaths two decades ago. In 1999 and 2000, more than 600 whales were reported stranded on the west coast. Scientists estimate that 20% of the total gray whale population has been lost. However, in 2001 the numbers stabilized and so far there has been no significant decrease.

John Calambokidis, senior research biologist at the Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia, Washington and part of the team studying whale deaths, says the current episode may just be another correction in the population.

“There are still many puzzles as to why we saw such a dramatic increase in mortality,” he said. “If we see mortality continuing into 2021, I will become increasingly concerned – and possibly alarmed.”

Kurtis Alexander is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander

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The Business Journal asked these seven lenders who are working with firms in North Bay to secure funding from the US Small Business Administration about the problems local employers have faced over the past 14 months with coronavirus pandemic restrictions. and the sometimes challenging application process for billions of federal aid.

Jeff Clark

Senior lender

Live Oak Bank

100 B St., Suite 100, Santa Rosa 95401

707-921-1102

jeff.clark@liveoak.bank

Years in banking: 25 years

Years in your current position: 6 years

Tell us about yourself: I have worked with wineries, breweries, distilleries, and craft beverage manufacturers in the United States. My experience spans the spectrum from small family businesses to listed companies.

Important news in your company in the past year: Despite the conditions, we survived and thrived. What a year!

What direct impact has the coronavirus had on your activity level?

It has affected us in several ways. The provision of Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans took several months of our time and took us away from loan production.

This also affected our borrowers with an on-premise exposure, excluding many of them for months. We usually travel several months a year for site visits, trade shows, etc. and that has not happened.

Tell us how the SBA program in support of those who have received SBA loans changed to provide loans to small businesses, and how did it have to adapt programs for those with existing SBA loans?

In addition to the PPP and EIDL (Economic Disaster Disaster Loan) programs, the SBA provided payment deferrals and payment grants and waived the guarantee fee.

Assuming the COVID pandemic has subsided significantly, what will the SBA credit market look like in two years? Will it have reverted to what it was before the pandemic or will it be different and why?

Neither of us have been in this situation before so it’s really hard to tell. However, companies will always need capital to grow. There could be pent-up demand beyond normal credit levels.

As for the untapped resources on the business just getting started, which ones most borrowers don’t know but should and why?

Small Business Development Centers are an SBA funded resource that can help with business plans, financial projections, and advice.

Brian Kilkenny

Business Services Administrator

Redwood Credit Union

3033 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa 95403

707-576-5422

BKilkenny@redwoodcu.org

Years in banking: 10

Years in your current position: 2

Organic: Brian Kilkenny is the Redwood Credit Union (RCU) loan administrator responsible for the growth, quality and maintenance of the RCU’s business loan portfolio.

Prior to joining RCU, Kilkenny was with Exchange Bank for over six years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Oregon State University and began his banking career with Bank of America.

Important news in your company in the past year: From 2020 to 2021, the RCU grew by $ 1.7 billion. We had planned well for the unexpected and that kept us strong and able to support members, team members and the community when they needed us.

Nobody knew exactly what to expect from the loan, but a year later we are optimistic about the performance of our business portfolio. The resilience of our local small businesses was evident as we watched them change and modify their approach and delivery to customers to meet customers where they are.

Despite all the adversities, many of them remained solvent, kept the doors open and continued to pay employees. RCU is proud to have supported this effort through close partnerships with our business members and borrowers.

What direct impact has the coronavirus had on your activity level?

We were pleasantly surprised to see a strong pipeline of growth and credit opportunities in 2020 and 2021. We have watched companies grow, borrow, and invest in themselves. This is a positive sign and will prepare you well for future success.

This high demand for conventional business coupled with two rounds of the SBA’s Payment Protection Program (PPP) has meant a lot of activity for the credit union.

Tell us how the SBA program in support of those who have received SBA loans changed to provide loans to small businesses, and how did it have to adapt programs for those with existing SBA loans?

The SBA has been offering Economic Damage Disaster Loans (EIDL) for years, which recently came into play to help local businesses.

However, COVID spurred the SBA to open a restaurant revitalization fund to provide restaurants with funding to match their pandemic-related loss of revenue, and they offered a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) to help hard-hit small businesses, nonprofits and venues to help.

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By Samya Brohmi

sbrohmi@gmail.com

According to the chairman of the Department of LGBT Studies, Dr. Ardel Thomas, the San Francisco LGBTQ + community is hard hit by the potential and actual loss of iconic common spaces and educational programs.

It started when The Stud closed its doors after 33 years in SoMa in May 2020. The famous nightclub was owned by the Stud Collective, a group of friends that included former RuPaul drag race contestant Honey Mahogany. The club was a historic pillar of SoMa’s LGBTQ + community, known for hosting experimental drag parties and fighting back what the collective viewed as growing consumerism that threatened to redefine LGBTQ + culture . The co-owners promised a reincarnation of the club concept in the near future and to help rebuild San Francisco’s once bustling party scene.

Virgil’s Sea Room in the Mission was next to close last February. Owner Lila Thirkield attributed the deal to the impossibility of running a sustainable business

Employee safety in a recent interview with 48Hills. Virgil’s attracted a diverse crowd, where both LGBTQ + and straight party-goers came together for drinks, games, and conversation.

For spaces that managed to stay open, crowdfunding has provided a necessary lifeline. At Oasis, a SoMa-based nightclub and cabaret, tightened restrictions meant that “not only were our bar staff laid off, but our actors, drag performers, DJs, security guards and all lost jobs,” Oasis’ front-of-house said Manager and drag performer Snaxx. “We have turned to online events and shows along with many other queer areas.”

Snaxx admitted that switching to virtual performances “was a whole different beast than being in person. It was also very scary to see other local bars or venues nearby. Not knowing how long it will be before we can “live normally” again has definitely made us so anxious, because what will be left when we can come back? “

Even so, Oasis was able to raise more than $ 250,000 a 12-hour telethon early last month. The event was broadcast on the club’s streaming service OasisTV and hosted by owner and acclaimed actor D’Arcy Dollinger. The money raised will help Dollinger pay the accrued rent and bills until additional funds are available from the city.

Despite the event’s proven success, Snaxx initially had doubts about the event. He was nervous about asking cast members to donate their time, believing viewers would have burned out from donating to previous fundraisers. Snaxx’s concern quickly resolved when she saw donations and emotional support coming from viewers.

“Everything that happened on the Telethon blew me away,” said Snaxx. “It reaffirmed the importance of this place to so many people, locals and around the world. And obviously with all the money we could raise we felt a weight that had been building up for months and months. We now feel like we have a newfound motivation and drive to keep working hard and to be a space for community. “

Illustration by Manon Cadenaule / The Guardsman. Instagram: @cadenaulem

In addition to crowdfunding, Snaxx urged the city to prioritize financial support for small businesses. “I know there is a huge demand for funding, vaccines, and general availability right now, but the delays in funding availability are part of what has forced us to keep this telethon on. There should also be more city officials committed to the safe reopening of businesses, ”she said.

“The rules are always changing and information is not easily accessible or clear and we get so much information about fines and closings when things are done wrong,” she added. Snaxx believes the city should make connections to help vulnerable businesses stay abreast of regulations.

LGBTQ + organizations are also implementing innovative ways to serve their communities in times of crisis. The San Francisco LGBT Center works with other community centers across the country to tackle the homelessness of LGTBQ + youth. LGBTQ + adolescents were particularly at risk from the pandemic due to the restricted access to safe and permanent housing.

The center participates in the Host Homes programHere, eligible candidates ages 18-24 can be temporarily paired with a community host and receive case management services to ensure stable housing. The program is currently in the pilot phase and is additionally supported by Point Source Youth and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing in San Francisco.

The LGBT center has also made its job placement services program, which helps find and retain jobs, available to ongoing and new customers during the pandemic. Program Director Cheryl Lala has had discussions with Thomas and Queer Resource Center Coordinator Juan Fernandez to offer the same resources on campus.

Thomas, using she / she pronouns, said that while employers have a tendency to hire gender abuse students, the LGBT center has started working with companies like Macy’s to create job opportunities for customers and current employees in LGBTQ + – Cultural literacy for the workplace to train.

At City College, most of the campus services are online. “It was incredibly challenging for everyone,” said Thomas. “Students who have been employed are busier than before than a pandemic, and there has been confusion about City College determining what is online and what is on campus.” With extensive training and experience teaching online courses for LGBT studies, Thomas made a conscious decision to keep all courses asynchronous and avoid late penalties.

As a result, Thomas said, the students have succeeded in their courses and appreciated the flexibility while balancing other responsibilities. “The disabled community has benefited from having internet access and no physical barriers,” said Thomas.

Thomas also noted that some of her students may struggle with issues such as housing, food insecurity, and mental health while attending school. “We all try to support the students as best we can,” they said. LGBT degrees will continue to be out of the way this fall, giving instructors time to prepare for face-to-face tuition for future semesters.

However, the LBGT studies department is no stranger to the possibility of layoffs in the faculty as three of the department’s four instructors have received pink receipts. Thomas described how disgusted and upset they felt because “the board of trustees didn’t listen to the local people”.

“If the layoffs continue, multiple queer-identified and / or colored trainers are at risk of losing their positions. This de-legitimizes the college’s promise to continue hiring and supporting careers of educators belonging to these groups, ”said Thomas.

The Queer Resource Center uses Zoom for its regular spring programs and events. Last February the “Queerceañera” took place here, a virtual celebration of the centre’s 15th anniversary. The event included a presentation on accessing student resources, drag performances and an opportunity for LGBTQ + identified students to connect with one another.

T-House, a community area within the Queer Resource Center, has also switched its events to Zoom. The T-House acts as a meeting place for the community and hosts a series of events for students who identify themselves as transmasculine and / or male from the people in the center, regardless of their gender identity or orientation.

Those interested in participating in the series of events can Fill out an interest form and subscribe to the email list. T-House coordinators take into account the diverse needs of attendees, issue warnings about possible triggers during presentations, and work to secure access to live subtitles and / or ASL interpreters for spoken parts of future events.

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