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.
Category: Economy & Business
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Arts & Culture, Economy & Business, Health, Social Services
Documentary ‘Sky Blossom’ Highlights Young Caregivers
Millions of Americans have stepped in as caregivers for loved ones with illnesses or injuries that mean they need help with daily living. The work is generally unpaid and often invisible to the world outside the family. Some of these caregivers are children. A new documentary, “Sky Blossom: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation,” highlights […]
Posted inEconomy & Business, Government & Politics, Housing
City Approves $2.7 Million Loan to Private Developer to Start Repairs at Plaza East
San Francisco officials have agreed to lend a private developer $2.7 million to make repairs at a public housing complex in the Western Addition.
Last week, the Citywide Affordable Housing Loan Committee, part of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, approved the loan to McCormack Baron Salazar, which owns and manages Plaza East Apartments. For years, residents have lived with leaking pipes, pest infestations and electrical fires.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Housing, Social Services
SF Residents Get Help Jumping Through Hoops for State’s Rent Aid
Many renters will need state aid to pay back rents and avoid eviction. Nonprofit groups are walking them through the process.
Posted inCity Hall, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Housing, Public Housing in Private Hands
HUD Denies Request to Demolish Plaza East
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development denied an application to raze and rebuild Plaza East Apartments, a 20-year-old public housing complex in the Western Addition, the agency confirmed.
The determination was made on March 30 but not publicly disclosed until Tuesday, when HUD officials were questioned by the Public Press. The move comes three months after the San Francisco Housing Authority submitted a demolition application, with Mayor London Breed’s endorsement.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Housing
Seeking Rent Relief? State Says Apply Now. Here’s How.
San Francisco residents who are behind on their rent and other housing costs could soon get financial relief, thanks to government programs designed to help those who qualify.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Food Systems
As Pandemic Threatens Restaurants, Charities Battling Hunger Offer a Lifeline
As the coronavirus vaccine rolls out and San Francisco’s commercial eviction moratorium extends at a piecemeal rate — it was scheduled to lift at the end of March but has now been extended — questions about the future of the city’s restaurant industry are becoming louder. Nonprofit food groups are offering solutions.
Posted inCity Hall, Economy & Business, Housing, Public Housing in Private Hands
With Mayor’s Backing, Developer Asks to Demolish, Rebuild 20-Year-Old Public Housing
Federal officials are considering a proposal to allow a developer to tear down and rebuild a 20-year-old public housing complex in the Western Addition — a plan that does not address residents’ demands for repairs to health and safety issues in the current structures.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Labor, Law & Justice
Event Company Non Plus Ultra Accused in Lawsuit of Unemployment Fraud
Non Plus Ultra, an event company that leases the Palace of Fine Arts, Pier 70, and the Old Mint, is under fire from employees who allege it filed fraudulent unemployment claims, harassed and bullied staff, and fired them when they confronted leadership, according to a lawsuit filed March 1 in San Francisco Superior Court.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Essential Workers, Government & Politics, Labor, Vaccine Distribution
Vaccinations and Hazard Pay Remain Concerns of Grocery Store Union
Grocery store workers are the latest to be eligible for vaccination. As part of our “Essential Worker” series we spoke with Jim Araby, director of strategic campaigns for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 about how they are trying to get their 28,000 members vaccinated and why they are fighting for hazard pay during the remaining days of the pandemic.