Vacant homes in San Francisco have skyrocketed from approximately 40,000 in 2019 to more than 60,000 in 2021, a 52 percent increase in just two years, according to a report released today by the City’s Budget and Legislative Analyst. An estimated 15% of all homes in San Francisco are empty, by far the highest rate among major cities in the country, the report found.
Small Businesses fully shut down by COVID health orders were given a lifeline Tuesday, after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a groundbreaking law that waives their back rent.
In a historic vote, the Board of Supervisors approved the City’s first universal free public transit program.
The Free Muni Pilot passes at a crucial time. Traffic congestion is on the rise, already at pre-pandemic levels. Transit ridership plummeted during the pandemic and has been slow to recover.
In a historic election, that took place during a pandemic and included an all-time-high number of mail-in votes, it was unclear how long it would take for results of local races to become definitive. However, District 7’s (D-7) new supervisor, Myrna Melgar, secured her victory on Nov. 4, the day after the election, while District 5 (D-5) incumbent Dean Preston retained his seat in what was a landslide victory compared to the razor-thin margin he held to win the 2019 special election.
The race for the District 5 Supervisor seat is shaping up to be another competitive battle between incumbent Dean Preston and challenger Vallie Brown, who Preston unseated in a special election last November.
Increasingly, it seems like every proposal at City Hall is meant to silence neighborhood voices and turn our neighborhoods over to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, struggling small businesses get little to no help from City Hall.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 