San Francisco, CA
Cruise, Waymo Robotaxis Get Greenlight to Run 24/7 in San Francisco
The outcome of a controversial vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will allow robotaxis from Google-affiliated Waymo and General Motors-backed Cruise to operate at all hours of the day and night around San Francisco.
Following nearly six hours of public comment, the CPUC voted 3-to-1 in favor of permitting both autonomous vehicle companies to ferry passengers and collect fares around the clock throughout San Francisco. This decision will make the city the first in the country where rivaling AV fleets will compete for revenue generated from riders at all times. However, it’s already sparked some controversy from residents and local government officials who worry that expanded hours alongside ongoing issues with AVs will cause significant traffic and safety concerns across the city.
With the CPUC’s new regulatory blessing, both Cruise and Waymo will be permitted to expand their operations to full 24-hour robotaxi services anywhere in the city. Previously, Cruise was only permitted to charge riders for driverless rides between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and most of its activity was constrained to downtown. The company could charge at any time provided a safety driver was present in the vehicle. Waymo, meanwhile, was allowed to collect fares only with a safety driver’s presence, regardless of the time.
Waymo and Cruise executives rejoiced at the news, respectively calling it “the true beginning” of AV operations in the city and a “historic milestone.”
CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds defended the agency’s decision to allow the expansion. His personal belief, according to a statement issued following the vote, is that the tech has the potential to increase safety on the roadway. However, he admits that the agency does not yet have the necessary data to judge AVs against human-driven counterparts.
Nearly 200 people signed up to offer public comment in the six hours leading up to the vote. Some were supportive of the expansion. For example, members of the local Service Employees International Union—which represents janitorial workers—rallied in support after Cruise reportedly promised to work with the union if they expand their offices into San Francisco. Likewise, the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hoped that the expansion would lead to more electrical jobs.
Individuals also spoke up about the potential of robotaxis creating an economic boost, as they could become a tourist attraction like the city’s cable cars. Others noted the possibility of reducing drunk driving. And, of course, others still referenced San Francisco’s history as an innovative tech hub.
Some residents, however, were not as enthralled with the idea of robotaxis on the road more often. Commenters complained that San Francisco was being transformed into a “tech playground” or “ant farm” where its citizens were the subject of big tech’s experiments.
“These are private companies testing their private R&D on public roads,” noted one commenter, according to California news outlet KQED. “You are a regulatory agency. Please do your job and create regulation. I did not consent to be a beta tester.”
Earlier this week at a preliminary hearing, Jeanine Nicholson, chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, testified to the CPUC that robotaxis were creating a public nuisance that has repeatedly undermined the department’s ability to respond to emergencies. She cited 55 written complaints of autonomous vehicles interfering with emergency service providers, such as driving over fire hoses.
Now that both brands have the go-ahead to expand their services, it’s likely that locals will begin seeing the number of robotaxis increase in the coming weeks. Waymo, for example, operates around 250 vehicles in the city. Cruise operates 300 overnight and 100 during the day, presently. It’s unknown how many additional vehicles each company expects to deploy in the short term.
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San Francisco, CA
Man charged in connection with two dozen retail thefts at San Francisco stores
SAN FRANCISCO – A Daly City man is facing multiple felony charges in connection with more than two dozen retail thefts targeting San Francisco stores, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office has charged 20-year-old Cuauhtemoc Ramirez with three counts of robbery, seven counts of organized retail theft, 23 counts of commercial burglary and 23 counts of grand theft. Ramirez also has been charged with 11 counts of vandalism, one count of attempted commercial burglary and one count of misdemeanor shoplifting.
Ramirez, who was arraigned on Monday, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“Prolific, brazen, organized retail thieves will be vigorously prosecuted; there will be accountability and perpetrators will face consequences,” Jenkins said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, Ramirez is believed to be part of an organized group that committed at least 24 incidents between Dec. 10, 2023 and April 17. Targeted retailers include Walgreens, Safeway, ZGO Perfumery, Smart & Final, BevMo and LensCrafters.
“Mr. Ramirez and his accomplices are alleged to have stolen over $100,000 in merchandise as well as to have caused thousands of dollars in damage to store property,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
Prosecutors also accuse Ramirez of vandalizing property during multiple incidents and used the threat of force and fear to steal during three of the incidents.
As of Tuesday, Ramirez remains held without bail, following a request by the DA’s office to detain him pending trial, citing a risk to public safety.
Ramirez’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 10, where a preliminary hearing date is expected to be set and the court is expected to rule on a motion to consolidate his pending cases, prosecutors said.
San Francisco, CA
Jets to play San Francisco 49ers Week 1 on Monday Night Football
The NFL is releasing its full 2024 schedule on Wednesday night, but prior to the full release the league is providing details on some marquee games.
We now know the Week 1 opponent for the Jets. The team will travel to the West Coast to play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
WEEK ONE. MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.
WE’RE BACK!
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 14, 2024
The 49ers are the defending NFC Champion. This marks the second straight year the Jets kick off their season with a marquee Week 1 matchup on Monday Night Football. The team famously won an overtime thriller against the division rival Bills to start the 2023 campaign. Of course that win came at a big price as Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on the first offensive series.
Robert Saleh served as 49ers defensive coordinator before his hiring as Jets head coach in 2021.
The Jets and 49ers last played in Week 1 in 1998. The game was a classic. San Francisco won on a 96 yard touchdown run by Garrison Hearst in overtime. However, the Jets went on to win 12 games that season and appeared in the AFC Championship Game.
San Francisco, CA
Facing $800M budget deficit, SF looks into city department expenses
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco could soon face more budget cuts.
“We are about three quarters of the way into our fiscal year. We are taking a look into how we are doing in the year and how is our revenue coming in,” said Michelle Allersma, director of Budget and Analysis in the controller’s office.
San Francisco’s current annual budget for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 is $14.6 billion.
By Tuesday, the Allersma said the office will have a detailed report that will inform the mayor what steps to take.
MORE: Mayor Breed announces SF budget for next 2 years, revealing key city priorities
“We are looking the general fund and we are looking into all the tax revenue. So there is sales tax, hotel tax,” said Allersma.
The controller’s office is digging deeper into the expenses by every city department and the revenues coming in. One concern so far is office vacancies.
“We are definitely seeing not a lot of commercial buildings are selling. We are taking a hit in our real estate transfer tax,” said Allersma.
Ahead of the latest budget review, Mayor Breed asked for city departments to make cuts for the next fiscal year.
MORE: SFMTA to add 35 more transit fare inspectors amid financial crisis
As the last controllers report looms today the Mayor’s office said in part:
“The Mayor has asked Departments to proposed reductions of 10%, but that doesn’t mean those will lead to cuts. She could choose to take all of their proposed reductions, or only part of them, or none at all.”
One of those asked to make cuts was the sheriff’s department.
“We don’t have anything else to cut. We are already short-staffed. We have cut and we are proposing to cut a little bit of our overtime budget only as a part of that and we are looking at asking for more money,” said San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto.
Sheriff Miyamoto is reporting a 36% increase in the jail population over the past year.
MORE: SFUSD officials under pressure from state amid ongoing budget crisis
“We need to deal with the increase in the population and the needs of that population. The transportation cost that are associated with moving people back and forth from our main jail out in San Bruno to the courts,” said Sheriff Miyamoto.
By June 1, the mayor is set to submit a full proposal for the budget to the board of supervisors. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is part of the city’s budget and finance committee.
“We are in a rough place budgetary. We had to make pretty significant cuts last year and we are going to have to do that again this year,” said Mandelman. “I’m concerned about basic services, public safety of course but I’m also concerned about housing. We have more than 10,000 people every night who used to be homeless and are now housed.”
Full statement from the mayor’s office:
“The Mayor’s Budget will be submitted by the end of this month. Any new information provided by the Controller will be incorporated in that budget. To be clear, the Mayor has asked Departments to proposed reductions of 10%, but that doesn’t mean those will lead to cuts. She could choose to take all of their proposed reductions, or only part of them, or none at all. And Departments can propose their reductions by finding other sources of revenue, like state and federal grants, to offset their costs.There is a lot of work that goes into balancing the budget, and the Mayor and her staff have been working on this for months. We will have more at the end of the month.”
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