San Francisco, CA
Project works to restore tidal marshlands along San Francisco Bay
On Wednesday, the San Francisco Bay grew by around 300 acres after an intentional levee breach that separated an old industrial salt pond from the Bay in Menlo Park.
David Lewis, the executive director of Save The Bay, an organization that works to protect and restore the San Francisco Bay, was grateful to see this moment that was years in the making.
“It creates hope,” he said. “I think it gives people a sense of awe about this amazing place that we live in, that we sometimes take for granted.”
The effort was the latest example of progress made by the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project to restore historic wetlands to tidal marshes.
“In just a few years, this dry and crusty salt pond will be a lush, green, tidal marsh, that supports amazing fish and wildlife – especially bird life,” Lewis said.
Tidal marshes around the Bay have disappeared as the Bay Area grew bigger and bigger, according to Amy Hutzel, the executive officer of the State Coastal Conservancy.
“Since the Gold Rush, we’ve lost close to 90% of our tidal wetlands in San Francisco Bay. Things were built on top of them – ports, airports, communities, salt ponds, all sorts of things,” she said. “It has been decades in the making to restore this spot and other spots all around San Francisco Bay and to have a much healthier bay.”
It’ll be better for wildlife and for the people who live around the Bay, says Lewis.
“Tidal marsh is one of the best protections – natural protections, green solutions – to sea level rise and flooding,” he said. “Tidal marsh acts like a sponge. It can actually hold that water during high tide and flood events and then release it slowly, so it doesn’t pose as big a risk to adjacent communities.”
This particular spot is at an elevated risk to adverse effects of future sea level rise, according to Lewis.
“East Palo Alto and parts of Menlo Park are actually at or below sea level right now,” he said. “So, with sea level rise, they’re going to be at greater risk. There is going to be a lot of adaptation that is needed – probably pumps for extreme flood events. But, the more that we can restore tidal marsh around the edges of these communities, the more natural protection can be a part of that solution.”
While that future isn’t tomorrow, Lewis says it isn’t far off.
“Just with the climate change that we’ve already baked into the planet, we’re going to see a significant sea level rise just in the next few decades. We have time to prepare our communities to be more resilient,” Lewis explained. “We don’t have time to do it slowly. We need to do it as quickly as possible. These marshes can provide all the benefits, and also protect us against rising tides; protect the people and the infrastructure that we’ve built here.”
This won’t be the last time we see the Bay reclaiming what was once a part of it in a controlled manner. Lewis, Hutzel, the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have a goal of restoring 15,000 acres of historic wetlands in the hopes of creating a better future for the Bay.
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When former top prospect Heliot Ramos finally emerged for the San Francisco Giants this year, their outfield became fairly crowded during the season and when looking ahead towards the future.
Despite Jung Hoo Lee being sidelined with a shoulder injury that ended his rookie campaign, the everyday addition of Ramos alongside Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater and a rotating cast of minor leaguers because of injuries created a logjam.
Because of that, the Giants decided to ship Slater out to the Cincinnati Reds on July 7 in exchange for pitcher Alex Young.
That ended his eight-and-a-half-year tenure in San Francisco after he was taken in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB draft before becoming a top prospect ahead of his Major League debut in 2017.
But despite a few good seasons during his time with the Giants, namely in 2020 with a 151 OPS+ and in 2022 with a 121 OPS+ across his 125 games, they viewed him as expendable and shipped him out of town.
Slater’s tenure with the Reds was short, only playing in eight games before they sent him to the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the trade deadline.
Upon the season ending, the veteran outfielder elected to hit free agency, and according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, he has now signed a Major League deal with the Chicago White Sox, although the terms have not been revealed.
The White Sox are coming off a historically poor campaign last year, so with them looking to turn the corner by getting established MLB talent into the mix, there’s a chance Slater gets a good amount of playing time.
San Francisco, CA
SF Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie's new transition team includes OpenAI co-founder, former fire chief
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie announced his new transition team on Monday nearly two weeks after he was elected as mayor.
The team consists of co-chairs and advisors. Some include Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO OpenAI, and former San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
MORE: Daniel Lurie delivers first remarks as San Francisco Mayor-elect, shares vision for city
“I’m excited to introduce this talented and diverse team who will help guide our transition and lay the groundwork for the change San Franciscans demand,” Lurie said in a press release to ABC7.
“Every one of these incredible leaders brings a track record of shaking up the status quo to deliver results. My transition co-chairs share my commitment to building an accountable, effective government to tackle the many challenges confronting our great city.”
Lurie says the co-chairs will be providing counsel to him and his advisors.
Daniel Lurie’s transition team, co-chairs:
- Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI
- Joanne Hayes-White, former SFFD Fire Chief
- José A. Quiñonez, founding CEO of Mission Asset Fund
- Ned Sega, Co-Chair of the Daniel Lurie for Mayor campaign
- Michael Tubbs, former Mayor of Stockton
- Nancy Tung, Chief of the Vulnerable Victims Unit and Community Partnerships at the SF DA’s Office
- Paul Yep, SFPD Commander in the Chief of Staff’s Office
Daniel Lurie delivers first remarks as San Francisco Mayor-elect, shares vision for city
Daniel Lurie made his first public announcement since becoming San Francisco’s mayor-elect after Mayor London Breed conceded the race.
Advisors
- Sara Fenske Bahat– Transition Director
- Ann O’Leary – Transition Counsel
- Ben Rosenfield – Senior Advisor
Lurie is succeeding incumbent Mayor London Breed, who conceded to Lurie on Nov. 7, after election results showed Lurie receiving more first-place ranked-choice votes than Breed.
It is the first time since 1991 that an incumbent mayor has been unseated.
VIDEO: SF Mayor London Breed gives concession speech for mayoral race
San Francisco Mayor London Breed conceded to challenger Daniel Lurie on Thursday and said she called to congratulate the Levi Strauss heir.
Lurie said he would declare a fentanyl state of emergency on his first day in office, without offering further details about what that would entail.
Lurie is an heir to the Levi Strauss estate, a father of two and a San Francisco native.
He founded and served as the CEO of the nonprofit organization Tipping Point Community in 2005 to focus on anti-poverty initiatives such as housing, education and job training.
Lurie will be sworn in as San Francisco’s 46th mayor on Jan. 8.
Bay City News contributed to this report
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