San Francisco’s residential water use is among the lowest among large cities in California, said Steven Ritchie, assistant general manager for water for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Ritchie joined “Civic” to explain how the city sources and uses its water, and why it is fighting state restrictions on the use of Tuolumne River water.
Monthly Archives: May 2021
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Climate Change, Environment, Health, Land use, Parks & Open Space
SF Ranks High on Parks Access, but Communities of Color Have Less Space
According to a ranking from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, all San Francisco residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, but residents of neighborhoods where most people identify as people of color have access to 56% less park space per capita than residents in neighborhoods that are predominantly white.
Posted inCalifornia, Economy & Business, Housing
Just Four S.F. Households Have Received Rent Relief Funds
Just four San Francisco households had received state money to pay off their rent debts as of Monday, with another 23 approved but awaiting payment, according to state figures.
California’s rent-assistance program opened two months ago, and its eviction moratorium is set to lift in barely five weeks on June 30, allowing landlords to eject people for outstanding rent debts.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Economy & Business, Labor
With California Set To Reopen, Backlogs Persist at Unemployment Agency
The state’s Employment Development Department, which handles unemployment claims, is still working to resolve thousands of backlogged cases and battling fraud. Emily Hoeven, who writes the daily WhatMatters newsletter for the nonprofit newsroom CalMatters, returns to “Civic” with the latest on how the state is handling unemployment.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Arts & Culture, Community
In ‘The End of the Golden Gate,’ Writers Share Reflections on a San Francisco in Flux
For a new anthology, Gary Kamiya edited essays from writers considering the city at a time of dramatic change and when many have threatened to leave.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Education
City College Trustee: Deal Preventing Layoffs Only a Short-Term Fix
The Board of Trustees for City College of San Francisco on May 10 voted on a plan to reduce teacher pay instead of laying them off, a plan that members of the teachers union had also voted on and approved. But this is only a short-term fix to one of the college’s recurring financial problems, said Alan Wong, a member of the Board of Trustees.
Posted inAging, Arts & Culture
Legacy Film Festival Delves Into the Triumphs and Challenges of Aging
Aging is often obscured from movies, or portrayed in ways that perpetuate stereotypes about what aging is. The films at the Legacy Film Festival on Aging counter that by exploring more fully what it means to get older.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Essential Workers, Labor
Cleaning During COVID-19: How the Pandemic Affected Janitorial Work
Janitors have been taking to the streets in San Francisco for weeks to advocate for better working conditions during the pandemic, even going on a three-day strike in mid-March.
Juan Hernandez, a janitor with decades of experience who works at a 42-story office building, joined “Civic” to give a sense of the day-to-day reality of this work during the pandemic.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Housing
Developer, Housing Authority Reconsider Future for Plaza East
The company that owns and manages the Plaza East public housing complex in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood says it does not currently have a plan to tear down the property. The shift in the firm’s message comes after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development did not approve a $320 million request from the company and the San Francisco Housing Authority, which owns the land, to demolish and rebuild the existing public housing complex and potentially add hundreds of units.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Essential Workers, Health, Labor
Frontline Dispatch: SF Paramedic Reflects on Pandemic
Before coronavirus cases were confirmed in San Francisco, paramedic Alfredo Banuelos and his colleagues were watching case numbers in other cities, still at a distance. Then he got his first patient. When the virus arrived in San Francisco and the city locked down and everything changed, procedures on the ambulance changed too. He reflects on […]