San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/author/zhe-wu/page/2/)
Zhe Wu is a reporter who is interested in covering stories related to the Asian American community. Previously, she has covered education and local community issues in the East Bay for Oakland North, Oaklanside and Berkelyside. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English and a bit of Hakka. She writes for the Public Press as a member of the first cohort of the California Local News Fellowship program, a multi-year, state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.
Many of Supervisor Joel Engardio’s constituents, who live on San Francisco’s west side, said they felt caught off guard by his move to co-sponsor a ballot measure to permanently close the Great Highway to car traffic and turn it into a park.
They said he should have consulted them before backing the measure, and some are pushing him to alter or withdraw it from the ballot.
一個代表日落區數十名商戶的團體公開反對一個投票提案。該提案將讓選民決定是否禁止車輛通行三藩市海洋公路（Great Highway）禁車，並將其改造為海濱公園。
該商戶團體表示，關閉公路可能會減慢城市西側的交通，以至於損害該市西側的商業。這可能會減少顧客人流量並延遲待售商品的交付。
(This story also available in English. Click to find it.)
A group representing dozens of merchants in the Sunset District is objecting to a ballot measure that would close San Francisco’s Great Highway to cars and transform it into a park.
The closure could hurt businesses on the west side of the city, the group said, by slowing car traffic to them. That might reduce clientele foot traffic and delay the delivery of merchandise for sale.
In an effort to help fill budget gaps and bolster some essential city services, one San Francisco lawmaker is proposing pay cuts at the highest levels of government.
City Hall has faced increasing budget shortfalls since the COVID-19 pandemic, which hobbled the downtown office real estate market, disrupting a major source of tax revenue. Mayor London Breed’s latest proposal to close the budget deficit, projected at $790 million over the next two fiscal years, has met objection from some officials and local social service providers.
Cities in Northern California are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence-powered translation tools in an effort to make public meetings more accessible to residents who are not proficient in English. The technology could address obstacles to access in San Francisco, where people can struggle to obtain city-provided interpreters.
Should San Francisco consider following San Jose, Modesto and others in adopting AI translation? City officials say no, and some community groups are wary but open to the possibility.
For immigrants and other San Francisco residents who speak little English, accessible and robust interpretation services are essential in order to understand what’s said at public meetings and communicate with officials.
The city claims to have the strongest language-access policies in the nation, and a new proposal is on the way to strengthen them further. But, in practice, those policies leave a communication gap between lawmakers and those affected by their laws, community groups say.
The dispensary will be on one of the Bayview’s less developed streets, near low-income and senior housing. Over a dozen cannabis facilities already operate in the neighborhood, nearly all of which are used only to grow the plant.
Many residents, especially Chinese Americans, have opposed the new facility, which will sell cannabis products, out of fear that it will encourage drug use and make the area less safe. Despite their objections, the city’s Planning Commission approved the project Thursday because it did not violate city laws.
A dispute among Chinatown businesses appears to be temporarily quelled, following a decision by San Francisco’s Board of Appeals to limit amplified sound at outdoor events along a major tourist artery for the next two months.
Merchants had objected after a local dance company obtained the amplified-sound permit. It was the latest point of friction resulting from a gradual uptick in events, which have disrupted some businesses in the neighborhood.
Since the start of the pandemic, Chinatown groups have closed pockets of the neighborhood to vehicle traffic, making space for events that might draw people. As the closures increased over time, local merchants began to bristle. Those frustrations have boiled over in response to the latest attempt, by a dance company, to potentially expand events.
As part of the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice, outreach workers frequently visit commercial corridors to help businesses respond to possible anti-Asian crimes and make residents feel more secure. The San Francisco Public Press tagged along for one visit.
