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San Francisco city workers protest billions spent on contractors

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San Francisco city workers protest billions spent on contractors


The unions representing San Francisco’s city workers rallied Tuesday to cry foul over the billions of dollars the city spends on outside contractors each year. They say some contractors charge up to $300 an hour for workers, sometimes more than doubling the cost of hiring someone in-house, and that the city would be better off hiring more employees to alleviate its yearslong staffing crisis.

“Why not give that work to us and save the taxpayer?” San Francisco Department of Public Works Junior Engineer Jon Gausman said. “We’re not even staffed up. We could be bringing more people in.”

Pushing San Francisco away from its longtime reliance on outside contractors has become a focal point for the coalition of 12 unions, representing over 25,000 city workers, that are in the midst of a contentious contract negotiation with city leaders. The specter of a widespread strike has hung over the city since the unions launched their contract fight last month and may become a central sticking point in Mayor London Breed’s bid to win reelection in November. 

A June 2023 civil grand jury report found that the number of vacancies in the city more than doubled since the Covid pandemic began, causing Muni to run fewer buses, reducing the level of care in local hospitals and jacking up answering times in the 911 call center. City worker unions proposed in their bargaining with the city that San Francisco achieve full staffing in key services by 2025, improve hiring processes based on the grand jury report and balance the upcoming budget by reducing contracting, not cutting vacant positions, according to coalition spokesperson Luke Thibault.

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There are currently 3,200 vacant full-time jobs in San Francisco, according to Department of Human Resources spokesperson Jack Hebb. That total represents a lessening of the vacancy crisis, according to Hebb, who said the city’s vacancy rate declined by nearly 30% from January 2023 to January 2024. The city has hired 700 full-time equivalent employees in the past year, bringing its total to 35,200, the highest it’s ever been, Hebb added.



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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco 49ers sign 2 with Alabama football roots

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San Francisco 49ers sign 2 with Alabama football roots


Defensive tackle Shakel Brown and offensive tackle Chris Hubbard signed one-year contracts with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, the NFL team announced.

Brown played at Troy and Hubbard played at UAB before reaching the NFL.

While Brown has never played in an NFL regular-season game, Hubbard entered the league as an undrafted rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013 and has played in 94 regular-season and six playoff games.

Both players are coming off injuries with the Tennessee Titans.

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Hubbard started nine of the Titans’ first 10 games at right tackle in 2023 before a biceps injury ended his season prematurely. Hubbard had been an unrestricted free agent since March 13.

Brown joined Tennessee as an undrafted rookie last offseason. But he suffered an ankle injury in a preseason game and spent the entire 2023 campaign on injured reserve. The Titans had released Brown last week.

To make room on their roster for Brown and Hubbard, the 49ers released defensive lineman Earnest Brown IV and offensive lineman Corey Luciano.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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San Francisco, CA

Man charged in connection with two dozen retail thefts at San Francisco stores

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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.

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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.

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Jets to play San Francisco 49ers Week 1 on Monday Night Football

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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.

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.





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