SF Works

In this episode:0:57: Waymos failed en masse during the December city-wide power outage, blocking traffic and getting in the way of first responders. Until recently, the company didn’t admit they had almost 1,600 stalled vehicle incidents in one day.1:52: The power outage’s cause was a fire owing to faulty equipment at a PG&E substation at Mission & 8th—not the first time a fire there has caused a blackout. Unsurprisingly, the City has been trying to breakup with PG&E for years.4:10: State Sen. Scott Wiener is leading a renewed push for SF to take over PG&E’s local operations via eminent domain, and have the city run the electric utility themselves. It’s not a far-fetched idea: Sacramento, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles all have public utilities, and their customers pay much cheaper rates. Still, many obstacles remain to a takeover.8:25: Across the street from SF General Hospital is the casual neighorhood seafood fiesta of your dreams. “Miches and ceviches” and a laid-back vibe make Dolores Waterfall feel like a vacation spot.Read more:Here is a “NotebookLM” compiling (most of) the sources I used in researching this episode.ICYMI:* Episode 6: “Six Months In” — Lurie’s early tenure: budget “chops,” Labubus, and a surprising IG game; creative coffee drinks for actual coffee lovers* Episode 5: “Shop or Flop” — SF Centre is dying, but Stonestown Galleria is on the come up; my most-consumed pastry* Episode 4: “Tahanan” — The new mayor gets “unprecedented” powers; a novel approach to affordable housing; incredible smashburgers* Episode 3: “Homi-slide” — SF has a new mayor; a deep dive into the City’s 2024 crime statistics; a new pop-up’s modern take on pan dulce* Episode 2: “Follow the Money” — SF’s $876 million budget deficit shock; how the City gets revenue and spends money; a favorite casual Lebanese eatery* Episode 1: “The Mayor & the Supes” — An intro to SF Works; the role of the Mayor and Board of Supervisors; an incredible Mission sandwich spotProgramming note:This show has a newly-setup Instagram account, which may feature videos and photos not included here.You can also find SF Works episodes on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe there if you already listen to podcasts on those platforms, and please consider leaving a rating or review! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com

In this episode: Lurie’s early tenure: budget “chops”, Labubus, and a surprising IG game; creative coffee drinks for actual coffee lovers1:39: A recap and assessment of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first six months in office, based on how he’s handled the City budget, homelessness, crime, business, and communications.2:19: Lurie and the Board of Supervisors just came to terms on the City’s budget, closing a projected deficit of over $800 million. Getting there involved some speedbumps—including a protestor at a public hearing cutting off her hair in the hopes of that being “the only chop”.4:33: Lurie had previously demanded that all city departments slash their budgets by 15%, but in the version that passed, 31 of 52 departments actually got increases!5:46: On the campaign trail, Daniel Lurie’s signature campaign pledge was that he would add 1,500 shelter beds in the first six months of his term. He achieved 195 net new beds, and now, his administration says they have a good reason why his goal is being scrapped.8:50: Crime is generally down, and SFPD funding is still increasing, but Lurie’s administration has traded one area beleaguered with open-air drug use (Civic Center) for another (Mission & 16th).12:09: Decisive action is apparently coming to significantly reduce the number of RVs squatting long-term in a handful of City neighborhoods.14:00: Lurie has moved especially quickly to tackled the red tape that has snarled small businesses in the city, introducing a well-received “PermitSF” program.15:37: Lurie has lived up to expectations of being friendly to the tech industry, from convincing Databricks to recommit to SF to giving Waymo special privileges. The retail revival has been slower, but Nintendo and Pop Mart should hopefully be a shot in the arm for Union Square.17:42: Lurie doesn’t have a naturally magnetic persona, but he has been a surprisingly effective communicator via social media videos. He has emerged as the City’s “cheerleader in chief” while raising awareness of his administration’s initiatives, hyping local small businesses, and coming across as responsive and relatable.20:12: One topic he has steadfastly avoided is Donald Trump, practically treating that name like Voldemort’s.21:44: New and buzzworthy on the coffee scene are Cafe Shoji and Warriors star Jimmy Butler’s pop-up Bigface. A more established, and still massively underrated spot for creative drinks for caffeine connoisseurs is The Coffee Movement. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com

In this episode: SF Centre is dying, but Stonestown Galleria is on the come up; my most-consumed pastry1:28: I recently bought my wedding suit at SF Centre, making me a rare customer at the dying mall frequently cited in “doom loop” narratives about downtown2:49: Visits to SF Centre have plunged, and in the past few years, retailers have stampeded for the exits4:29: Housing? College campus? Soccer stadium? Many ideas have been floated on what to do with SF Centre, but none have gotten traction. Issues over financing and control of the property make change even harder7:40: Stonestown Galleria, like SF Centre, opened in the late ’80s, and has had its share of ups and downs9:08: Setting Stonestown apart these days is its reputation as a “foodie paradise”—particularly for inexpensive but trendy Asian food11:08: There are big plans for Stonestown as a solution to SF’s housing shortage, too—but the timeline that’s been proposed is disappointing13:08: A Hayes Valley bakery that opened in fall 2022 makes my most-consumed pastry of late (but I’ll tell you where else you can find it!)Some other things:The CGV movie theater on Van Ness lost $54 million in just 18 months?! (I saw Dune and Top Gun 2 there, but it was always pretty empty...) | CEO says he was “chased” with a “Glock”; SFPD and security footage confirm he just heard fireworks. | Good news (except for bippers): “San Francisco car break-ins are lowest in two decades”. | The Market St. Safeway has the City’s last large neon billboard, but its days are numbered. | “40 arrests, 0 charges”—the Mayor and SFPD hyped a big drug raid, but did it have any impact? | Supe Walton: “Mayor Lurie is an oligarch… who does not care about collaboration.” | Steph Curry scraps Dogpatch HQ project. | Pacifica Taco Bell gets a glow-up. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com

In this episode: The new mayor gets “unprecedented” powers; a novel approach to affordable housing; incredible smashburgers1:13: The Trump-Musk horrorshow has made it difficult to focus on local issues, but in the first two months of Mayor Lurie’s term, he has picked up sweeping new powers via a “fentanyl emergency ordinance”3:29: Corruption is a touchy subject in SF government; in 2020, the FBI arrested a city department head (and one-time romantic interest of the prior mayor) who raked in huge bribes from private contractors4:24: Lurie said he’d spread responsibility for providing social sevices across the city; so far, the Tenderloin and Bayview continue to shoulder the burden5:44: The Tahanan affordable housing project was built far cheaper and quicker than typical SF construction—a deep dive into how that happened, how the building’s residents are faring now, and what this means for future housing construction11:10: A number of superlative “indie” burger spots have kept the smashburger trend alive and well in SF; arguably the best of them is now anchoring a new food hall on Market St.Some other things:SF delays “daylighting” parking tickets, will paint curbs red. RIP, Turner’s Kitchen 😭. The Mission is the new Tenderloin. Jan 6 insurrectionist who impersonated an ICE agent at a Mission taqueria was “recently banned from the dating website OKCupid”. Lurie hanging with Josh Shapiro. Long-time Crips leader “Big U” rips off Draymond Green and other NBA players. All 50 BART stops in eight hours. Kamala for Governor? I yelled at my TV “‘Showplace Square’ is not a thing!” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com

In this episode: SF has a new mayor; a deep dive into the City’s 2024 crime statistics; a new pop-up’s modern take on pan dulce0:55: Daniel Lurie is off to a fast start as mayor, helping resolve a hotel strike, leading steet cleanups, and delivering an inauguration speech full of “hard truths”4:26: California’s new “daylighting” law hasn’t been well-communicated; make sure you don’t rack up tickets in what used to be perfectly legal spots6:46: In 2024, San Francisco homicides hit a historic low, and most major crime categories saw modest to huge decreases, too. This follows a nationwide trend in most major cities, but perception vs. reality are still in conflict in SF10:44: A new weekend-only pop-up bakery in the Mission is reimagining conchas, the traditional Mexican staple This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com

In this episode:On August 1, 2024, Mayor London Breed signed San Francisco’s latest two-year balanced budget, a plan to both spend and take in >$15.5B annually. Just over four months later, a City report reveals that we’re already way off—now facing an $876 million deficit! To close that gap, incoming Mayor Daniel Lurie will have to oversee spending cuts that could have a significant effect on all SF residents.SF Works looks into what departments and programs are driving the bulk of City spending, the role of local tax revenue in paying for SF government, and the reasons for continued uncertainty over our financial health.* 1:37: Mayor-Elect Daniel Lurie is inheriting a massive, surprise City budget deficit* 2:58: Background on SF’s budgeting process and recent history* 6:24: The eight departments or agencies that make up three-quarters of the city’s budget, and what they do* 10:58: Taxes are just one revenue source for funding SF government* 13:51: What’s driving the deficit, and the painful cuts that closing the gap might entail* 16:58: A pair of my favorite casual Middle Eastern restaurants in the city This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com

In this episode: An intro to SF Works; the role of the Mayor and Board of Supervisors; an incredible Mission sandwich spot* 1:16 — Why I started this podcast, and what I hope we can do together* 4:20 — My request to listeners: please connect me with potential podcast guests* 4:54 — The role of the San Francisco mayor, and Daniel Lurie is taking over from London Breed next month* 7:29 — The role of the Board of Supervisors* 8:42 — How SF’s city government structure differs from other major American cities* 11:08 — Snapshots of a few Supervisors, notably, Jackie Fielder, the incoming representative of District 9 who has been called “SF’s AOC”* 13:48 — Great SF sandwiches, including my favorite option for picnicking in Dolores Park This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com