San Francisco, CA

72% of San Francisco voters say city is on the wrong track

Published

10 months ago

February 14, 2024

72% of San Francisco voters say city is on the wrong track

On a slightly overcast Valentine’s Day with sweeping views of the Bay Bridge, San Francisco business and civic leaders at the Chamber of Commerce CityBeat Breakfast painted the picture of a downtrodden city finally turning the page into an era of grand recovery.

It was a bit of an ironic message, particularly considering some of the survey data presented at the event itself.

A Chamber of Commerce survey found that 72% of voters believe that the city is on the wrong track, compared with only 22% who said the opposite. The number was slightly improved from the 77% figure in the Chamber’s survey back in May, but still a far cry from the 46% who believed the arrow was pointed downward in 2019.

The mixed mood and messaging were hard to ignore, even from the stage.

“I know this sounds a little bit strange, but I want to start off by saying how proud I am of all San Franciscans,” Chamber of Commerce CEO Rodney Fong said, to slightly stuttering applause from attendees nibbling on a light breakfast of leafy greens and an appropriate treat: chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Signs of the vibe shift, according to Fong, were voters’ desire to take action on the city’s problems at the ballot box. Alongside the breakfast, the Chamber released polling showing a majority of voters supported ballot measures in the March 5 election that would increase police powers to use surveillance technology and conduct pursuits (Prop. E), predicate cash welfare on drug addiction screening (Prop. F) and provide tax breaks for office-to-residential conversions (Prop. C).

Fong noted that the theme of the last CityBeat breakfast in 2020 before the pandemic was “Wake Up San Francisco,” an allusion to the problems already starting to fester in the boom times.

It took a few years, Fong said in his remarks, but he feels that the city is finally heeding that call.

“I’m confident that 2024 will be a year that lays the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive and even more innovative San Francisco,” Fong said.

In her keynote remarks, Mayor London Breed’s overarching message was that to turn a corner, San Francisco needs to embrace being “aggressive” and “uncomfortable” in its approach to long-standing issues, such as homelessness and drug crimes.

She targeted “naysayers” both outside and inside the city who seemed to gloat over its misfortune.

“There were those who said that the economic fallout from the pandemic might be a good thing. Can you imagine that?” Breed said.

Breed, who’s facing a tough reelection fight in November, defended her record on public safety, saying her policies led to the second-lowest crime rate over the past 10 years in 2023.

“People need help in San Francisco, and if you aren’t willing to get a little aggressive, then you’re willing to let the stuff that’s continuing to happen on our streets continue,” she said, touting her work with state and federal officials to tamp down drug dealing.

“Change makes people uncomfortable, but I’m not worried about that because you know who we need to make uncomfortable? The drug dealer selling deadly fentanyl on the streets of our city,” she said.

And, although outside media has long been an adversary, Breed approvingly quoted recent Bloomberg, New York Times and Economist headlines about the city’s rebound.

“Surprising, comeback? Maybe for some, but not for those of us who’ve been here doing the work, for those who believe, for those who have always been here,” Breed said.

The dissonance between rah-rah cheerleading and larger public opinion grew obvious when around five minutes after Breed’s remarks, event organizers showed data about the 72% of San Francisco voters who said the city is on the wrong track. The proportion of San Franciscans who think that economic conditions are better today than a year ago went from 12% in 2023 to 20% in 2024.

But around 50% felt things were worse, and voters who believe that economic conditions will be worse a year from now outnumbered those who thought things would be better.

A voter guide released by the Chamber found the business interest group aligned with nearly all of the mayor’s priorities. One glaring exception was the “no position” taken by the Chamber on Prop. F’s rules around addiction screening for city welfare recipients.

Carlos Solórzano-Cuadra, CEO of the city’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview that while he appreciates the mayor’s optimistic messaging, he isn’t writing off all of the worries about public safety and the economy. He added that he would like the business community to shift some of its focus away from downtown and to neighborhoods like the Mission.

“We still have work to do,” said Solórzano-Cuadra. “There are things that need to be done better.”

Hanging over the breakfast were two fiercely contested elections likely among the most consequential in San Francisco’s recent history. In the audience were at least two other candidates vying for her job: Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie.

At his campaign kickoff event on Tuesday, Farrell—Breed’s predecessor—painted a darker picture of the city’s condition, mirroring the Chamber’s public opinion polling. Instead of questioning the doom loop claims, he embraced them as a sign of how lost the city is.

“We have a doom loop, and we are losing our mantle as a world-class city,” Farrell said. “We are literally now being compared to Detroit and Oakland. That is not the conversation where San Francisco belongs.”

Source link

Click to comment

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco hotel workers agree pay rise after 3-month strike

Published

45 minutes ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

San Francisco hotel workers agree pay rise after 3-month strike

What’s New

Hilton hotel workers in San Francisco voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.

The union, which represents about 15,000 workers in the region, announced that the deal settles the last of the city’s 2024 hotel strikes, covering approximately 900 Hilton workers.

Newsweek has contacted Unite Here Local 2 and Hilton via email for comment.

San Francisco Union Square Hilton Hotel workers strike on September 3, 2024. Workers voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.

Justin Sullivan/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Why It Matters

The new contracts after this year’s strikes establish significant improvements in wages, health care and workload protections for workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott-operated hotels.

The agreements conclude months of labor unrest that involved thousands of workers and disrupted San Francisco’s hotel industry.

What To Know

Hilton workers voted 99.4 percent in favor of the agreement on Christmas Eve, which includes a $3 per hour immediate wage increase, additional raises, and protections against understaffing and increased workloads.

The four-year contract preserves affordable union health insurance and provides pension increases. The deal covers workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55, with 650 workers having actively participated in the strike.

This agreement follows similar contracts reached with Hyatt workers on Friday and Marriott workers last Thursday, covering a total of 2,500 workers who had been on strike since late September.

What People Are Saying

Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years, said: “These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up. We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”

Lizzy Tapia, President of Unite Here Local 2, said: “Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott workers refused to give up their health care or go backwards – and we proved on the picket line that we’re not afraid of a tough fight. As contract talks begin with the city’s other full-service hotels in the new year, they should know that this is the new standard they must accept for their own employees.”

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said on X: “All those that have been out on strike will be back to work, and just in time for Christmas. So, things are looking bright as we head into 2025.

What Happens Next

Unite Here Local 2 said it would push for other full-service hotels in San Francisco to adopt the same standards established by the Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott agreements when contract negotiations resume in 2025.

Source link

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco hotel workers approve new contract, ending 3-month strike

Published

9 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

San Francisco hotel workers approve new contract, ending 3-month strike

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Hilton hotel workers who have been on strike for the past three months voted Tuesday to approve a new union contract.

The approval by Unite Here Local 2 in San Francisco settles the last of three hotel strikes in San Francisco this year, union officials said.

The strikes at Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton hotels throughout the city began in the fall. Marriott workers reached agreements on Thursday, with Hyatt doing the same on Friday.

San Francisco Hyatt Hotel union workers unanimously approve new contract

The Hilton agreement is the same as those ratified by striking Hyatt and Marriott workers last week, according to Ted Waechter, spokesperson for the Unite Here Local 2 union.

The agreement applies to about 900 workers, 650 of which have been on strike for over three months, according to Waechter. The hotels include the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and about 250 workers at Hilton’s Parc 55 hotel, who had been prepared to go on strike.

All the deals with hotels include keeping the workers’ health plan, wage increases, and protections against understaffing and workload increases.

Many of the 2,500 hotel workers had been striking for about 93 days, picketing daily in Union Square, which is the site of a Hilton and the nearby Grand Hyatt on Stockton Street.

SF Hyatt Hotel union workers on strike to vote on ratifying tentative agreement for new contract

“These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up,” said Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years. “We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”

Hilton media representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Tuesday issued a statement welcoming an end to the strike, saying it came just in time for the holiday season and allows workers to return to work for key events such as the JP Morgan Health Care Conference and NBA All-Star Game.

Unite Here Local 2 represents about 15,000 hotel, airport and food service workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties and represented the striking hotel workers.

Source link

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Giants Gold Glove Catcher Projected For Huge Season

Published

18 hours ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

San Francisco Giants Gold Glove Catcher Projected For Huge Season

The San Francisco Giants have made some huge offseason moves already and hope they aren’t done just yet, but as is the case for every team that doesn’t win the World Series, the most important development will have to come from within.

One player who took a huge step from 2023 to 2024 and will try to improve even further in 2025 is Giants catcher Patrick Bailey. After a beyond solid rookie season in 2023 in which he finished in the top-ten for the National League Rookie of the Year, Bailey won a Gold Glove in 2024.

While the offensive output was similar to his rookie season and not anything to write home about, there’s confidence the bat will come along for the 25-year-old.

In an article naming breakout stars in 2024 who are due for a huge season in 2025, Bailey was one of the first names mentioned by Will Leitch of MLB.com.

“Bailey led all players in Statcast’s fielding run value metric (plus-22), and FanGraphs, which factors pitch framing into its WAR calculation, had Bailey third among catchers with 4.3 WAR,” Leitch wrote. “At age 25, Bailey already has won as many Gold Gloves as Posey — now his team’s president of baseball operations — did over his whole career.”

Leitch pointed out that Bailey has established himself to be San Francisco’s catcher of the future, something that seems undeniable at this point. If the former first-round pick can develop his bat to the point where he is hitting at least close to the same rate as he was raking in the minor leagues, he will have a chance to become one of the best catchers in baseball.

Through 218 games over his first two seasons in MLB, Bailey has posted a batting average of .234, an OPS of .640, slugged .348, and has hit 15 home runs and 94 RBIs. Certainly not numbers that will blow you away at the plate, but his defense has more than made up for it and allowed the Giants to be patient with his bat.

In 193 minor league games since being drafted No. 13 overall in 2020, Bailey hit .251 across all levels and had an OPS of .779. He also showed an encouraging level of power with 25 home runs, but has struggled to replicate that in the big leagues thus far.

Having already established himself to be one of the best in the game on defense, Bailey will have a chance in 2025 to enter the upper echelon of catchers across the game if he can have the breakout season he appears poised to.

Source link