Climate change, global warming and the justifiable jitters that come with a fear of an environmental apocalypse are scoffed at by many in the current administration in Washington. (Deutsche Welle). Soft-pedaling such threats can take the form of the National Park Service denying the human role in climate change by aggressively editing out all references to that role in its report on sea level rise and storm surge. Some congressional Democrats, however, were righteously peeved at the deletions and howled for an investigation into whether the agency violated its scientific integrity policy. (Reveal).
But here’s the real deal for those who still believe in science:
- California is taking climate change seriously: Officials are inching toward requiring cities to plan for the severe sea level rise that is predicted to cause high tides that could flood parts of the Bay Area by the middle of the next century. “State Looking to Require Cities to Plan for Rising Seas” (San Francisco Public Press).
- A project is already humming along to alleviate the risks of rising seas, and Richmond’s northern shoreline is a target area. The work is part of the Resilient by Design competition, a research and design initiative that addresses climate-related disasters. “Sustainable Design Competition Seeks to Abate Bay Area Climate Disasters” (Richmond Confidential).
- Another tool to combat rising seas is restoring wetlands to the bay’s low-lying areas, like a project that just got the OK to change a 300-acre salt pond back into a wetland. This is an example of Bay Area voters’ tax dollars at work in that this wetlands project is the first use of $12 parcel tax proceeds to clean up the bay. “That $12 Parcel Tax Voters Approved Two Years Ago Is About to Revive SF Bay Shorelines” (San Francisco Chronicle).
- And if you really want to get the climate-change jitters based on the facts, and you have nightmares about things ultimately becoming so dire that humanity would be up the creek without a paddle or a Noah’s Ark, educate yourself about sea level rise as detailed in these special reports: “Sea Level Rise Threatens Waterfront Development” and “Wild West on the Waterfront” (San Francisco Public Press).
Home, Sweet Home, or Let’s Just Call It the ‘H’ Word
- Remember those high hopes for housing in the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard that, unfortunately, withered? Well, the bad news you’ve been hearing about got even worse. An investigation of soil sample tests found around half had been falsified to minimize pollution on the site but … a subsequent review alleged that up to 97 percent of the cleanup data was very, very fishy. “Faked Cleanup at Hunters Point Shipyard Much Worse Than Navy Estimates” (Curbed); “Radiation Problems Multiply for San Francisco’s Hunters Point” (San Francisco Bay View).
- Does affordability trump environmental bona fides? A proposed Mission District housing project will be the first in town to benefit from a new state law that lets developers skip an environmental review as long as some affordable units are built. “Mission Housing Project Invokes Law to Exchange Review for Affordable Units” (San Francisco Chronicle).
- Other good news on the affordability front is that the city has picked a nonprofit developer to work on San Francisco’s first subsidized housing specifically for public school teachers, which will be in the Outer Sunset. “City Picks Developer for Outer Sunset Teacher Housing” (Hoodline).
- What goes up, keeps going up. The median home price in San Francisco is now a stratospheric $1.61 million, which is double the median price in 2013. “San Francisco’s Median House Price Climbs to $1.61 Million” (Curbed).
- If you’ve ever wondered what the heck was going on with those houseboats in Mission Creek, well, check this out: A long-term resident talks of affordability and being close to nature smack in the middle of the city. “Life on a Houseboat Is Mostly Ups, Few Downs” (Hoodline).
- Hey, renters, win some, lose some. A state appeals court torpedoed a city ordinance that forced landlords who evicted their tenants under the Ellis Act to wait 10 years before rebuilding or renovating the units. So much for efforts to discourage Ellis Act evictions. “San Francisco Evictions Law Struck Down as Violation of Ellis Act” (San Francisco Chronicle).
- The court’s ruling might be music to the ears of one of San Francisco’s most notorious landlord, who is renowned for being fined for wrongful evictions. “S.F.’s ‘Cruelest Landlord’ Finally Speaks Out” (SF Weekly).
- But many renters are fighting back in the housing affordability crisis and organizing to enact laws limiting rent increases. “Rent Control Campaign in California Is Taken to the Streets” (New York Times).
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