San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2021/06/)
As companies consider bringing staff who have been working from home back into the office, mechanical engineer and HVAC expert Steve Taylor’s consulting firm, Taylor Engineering, has been fielding questions about ventilation. Clients want to know if upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems will make their buildings as safe as they were prior to the coronavirus pandemic. » Read more
In recent years, the mills and foundries that receive recyclables from Recology have stopped accepting bales of material with more than 1% impurities, so the sorting facility at Pier 96 must work to a very high standard. Through a recent tour of the sorting center, “Civic” reported on what happens when things that cannot be recycled end up there, and what should be done about material that is difficult to recycle, like plastic bags. » Read more
Read the story by Mel Baker — “Return to Alcatraz: 50 Years After Native American Occupation, National Park Service Considers Permanent Cultural Center” — that accompanies this photo essay by Yesica Prado.
Yesica Prado / San Francisco Public PressAlcatraz employees catch the first ferry of the day from Pier 33 in San Francisco. » Read more
As California reopens to tourism, Alcatraz is once again drawing visitors from around the world and featuring exhibits celebrating a broader range of perspectives than previously represented on the island.
Visitors arriving by ferry today will see bright red graffiti over the weathered prison signs proclaiming the site “Indian Land” — political messaging first painted during the 19-month-long Native American occupation of the island 50 years ago. » Read more
Vice President Kamala Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday to tour a detention facility and meet with people who have made the journey to the United States. For San Francisco resident Soledad Castillo, who left her home country of Honduras at age 14 to cross the border, the vice president’s visit and her previous statements on immigration have been frustrating, Castillo told “Civic.” » Read more
A proposed three-month extension to the statewide eviction moratorium, set to expire in less than a week, could override recently approved tenant protections in San Francisco, leaving tenants vulnerable to eviction starting in October, tenant advocates said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and leaders in the California Legislature Friday unveiled a long-awaited plan to continue to protect tenants from eviction based on unpaid rents that were due in the last year. » Read more
GUEST OPINION
UPDATE 6/25/21 1:40 p.m.: Derek Chauvin was sentenced today in Minneapolis to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
The tiers in San Quentin State Prison were filled with the sounds of bars rattling, joyful shouts and whistles when Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd last month, but in the weeks following the verdict, the excitement has given way to skepticism. » Read more
UPDATE 6/25/21 2:42 p.m.: Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced California’s eviction moratorium would be extended to Sept. 30, pending approval by the state Legislature. This story has also been updated to clarify that the rental assistance program in question is funded by the federal government. » Read more
California’s reopening last week meant most restrictions and practices to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been lifted. The state’s remaining restrictions pertain to mega-events, unvaccinated people, health care facilities and settings serving children, and the guidelines say little about social distancing. » Read more
With the state emerging from a pandemic that prompted emergency action and investment to bring people living on the street indoors, and after recent pledges from state and local officials to invest in solutions to homelessness, local nonprofit leaders discussed what long-lasting solutions might look like. » Read more