California
A large black SUV turns into the driveway at the main visitor entrance of the Fairmont Hotel.

Proposed Ruling on Substandard Uber Luxury Rides Would Threaten Public Safety, Appeal Says

11.26.2024
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Safety officials at the California Public Utilities Commission thought they had a powerful case against Uber for endangering the public.

In 2019 they discovered that Uber had allowed luxury limousine companies to provide hundreds of thousands of rides for Uber Black, its premium car service, even though these firms had given Uber blatantly false documents or employed drivers not fully insured or enrolled in mandatory drug testing and driving record reviews, the officials later alleged in a legal brief.

As their investigation continued, the safety officials learned that in almost two dozen cases, drivers for these unauthorized subcarriers had allegedly assaulted passengers or engaged in other misconduct, they said in the brief, some of which could have been prevented had Uber properly vetted the limousine firms.

Elections
Vehicles drive along San Francisco’s the Upper Great Highway.

Analysis: What Would Really Happen to Traffic if SF’s Great Highway Closed?

10.31.2024
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Perhaps no local issue in this election is more contentious than Proposition K, which would close the Upper Great Highway to cars and move it closer to becoming a park.

Supporters and opponents have sparred over how the measure’s passage would affect traffic in San Francisco. To find out what’s true, we examined multiple studies, and spoke with their authors and experts not affiliated with the city.

Elections
Passengers disembark a Waymo vehicle.

Proposition L — Tax Ride-Hailing and Autonomous Vehicle Companies to Fund Public Transit

10.07.2024
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See our November 2024 SF Voter Guide for a nonpartisan analysis of measures on the San Francisco ballot, for the election occurring Nov. 5, 2024. The following measure is on that ballot. Proposition L would tax ride-hail companies, including those that operate self-driving cars, and devote the tax revenue to improving San Francisco’s public transit. Listen to a summary of what this ballot measure would do.

Elections
市參事殷嘉立（Joel Engardio）同當地商戶與市民會面。

三藩民選官員遭反對，因其提案關閉海洋公路

07.19.2024
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居住在舊金山西側，由市參事殷嘉立（Joel Engardio）代表的市民表示，他們對他於其他市參事共同發起一項投票提案感到措手不及。該措施旨在永久關閉海洋公路，禁止汽車通行，並將其改造為海濱公園。

民眾說，殷嘉立在支持這項措施之前應該先諮詢他們的意見。一部分正在敦促他修改這項提案或將其從投票中撤回。

(This story also available in English. Click to find it.)

Elections

SF Lawmaker Faces Growing Backlash for Supporting Great Highway Closure

07.17.2024
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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.

Community
从蘇特羅高地（Sutro Heights ）方向看過去的海洋公路，拍攝與2019年9月

商戶們反對將海洋公路改建公園的提案

07.03.2024
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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.)

Community

Merchants Oppose Ballot Measure to Turn Great Highway Into Park

06.28.2024
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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.

Transportation
Joe Castiglione presents a report on ride-hailing to the Transportation Authority board on April 25.

Local Planners Say State Failed to Track Safety Incidents on Uber and Lyft

04.27.2023
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The state agency responsible for ensuring Uber and Lyft rides are safe failed to consistently track the number of accidents, assaults and drunk driving complaints that occur on them, according to a new study by San Francisco traffic planners.

The California Public Utilities Commission did not even consistently collect the most basic industry information, such as ride requests and miles driven, the report from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority shows.