San Francisco, CA
SF Mayor Breed's push for barriers to protect Union Square businesses from retail crime
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A little more than 24 hours after suspects crashed a car into the Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco’s Union Square in an attempted burglary, Mayor London Breed is looking to make changes to try and benefit safety in the area.
She is pushing for an easier process that would allow businesses to put more bollards and planters in front of their locations.
INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker
If you’re not familiar with bollards, they are the long and round things that surround the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. They also surround federal buildings.
Now there is a push to bring those or something similar, along with planters to Union Square. All this in light of another attempted crash and grab at the Louis Vuitton store Monday.
“We just want them to prevent vehicles from ramming into these businesses in order to rob them,” Mayor Breed said.
Suspects crash car into SF Union Square Louis Vuitton store in apparent attempted burglary: police
She says the city will cut some of the red tape involved in the approval process.
“We appreciate the support from the city to not only to allow us to easily navigate the process for permitting and that sort of thing but also support the financing of this tool,” said Marisa Rodriguez, who heads the Union Square Alliance.
It is still unclear how much the city will give out.
Thieves smash car into SF Union Square Dior store, steal thousands in merchandise, police say
Rob Reiter, co-founder of the Storefront Safety Council, says bollards have been installed in New York City, Las Vegas, and Chicago. While he applauds the effort here in San Francisco, he has questions and concerns about businesses going through this installment process when the city’s infrastructure is a hundred plus years old.
“If the city did it, excuse the expression, ‘right,’ they would put in the bollards themselves so they would all be continuous and would all look the same and it could be done in phases that made sense,” said Reiter.
ABC7 News insider Phil Matier has thoughts on why Union Square is the focus versus other neighborhoods in the city.
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Cement barriers installed on San Francisco’s Shotwell Street to deter prostitution is now creating a slew of new issues for residents.
“Let’s be honest about it. Yes we have problems in the Mission and other parts of the city, but Union Square is the one that makes it on the TV,” Matier said.
It is yet to be determined how fast bollards could be installed in the area and how much money they would cost.
Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
San Francisco, CA
Senator Scott Wiener demands California DMV stop using ‘San Fran' on licenses
State Senator Scott Wiener is speaking out after the California DMV is making a lot of people cringe.
In recent months, San Franciscans have been getting drivers licenses, listing the city as “San Fran.”
Wiener, who called it “a grave injustice,” posted a photo on his social media page and it showed the misprint.
Wiener added that he’s now sending the DMV a “cease and desist” letter. He demands the agency immediately stop doing it.
He also called it slander, saying “no self-respecting San Franciscan would ever use that phrase.”
NBC Bay Area reached out to the California DMV. They said its aware of the issue and that they’ve already made a fix.
San Francisco, CA
Here are the S.F. streets closed to cars this Halloween
Looking for a safe place to go trick-or-treating this year? More than two dozen streets across San Francisco will be closed to traffic, so kids and parents can rest easy while hunting for candy.
In the Mission, Shotwell Street between 22nd and 23rd streets is closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Enjoy these other car-free spaces on Halloween, with a full list below. Data provided by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
Downtown “Nightmare on Front Street”
San Francisco’s first “Entertainment Zone,” this free event on Front Street between California and Sacramento streets features live music, Halloween-themed games, horror movie screenings, and costume contests from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 245 Front St.
Balboa Park
Otsego Ave between Santa Ynez and Santa Ysabel is closed to traffic from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Bernal
Celebrate Cortland Halloween. These streets are closed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.:
- Cortland Avenue between Bennington and Gates streets;
- Moultrie Street between Cortland and Eugenia avenues;
- Anderson Street between Eugenia and Jarboe avenues;
- Ellsworth Street between Cortland and Eugenia avenues
- Intersections along Cortland Avenue closed at Wool, Andover, Moultrie, Anderson, and Ellsworth.
Fillmore
Pierce between Turk and O’Farrell is closed to cars from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Glen Park
Chenery Street between Elk and Diamond is closed to cars from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Randall Street between Whitney and Harper is closed to cars from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sanchez Street between Randall and 30th is closed to cars from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Hayes Valley
Visit Patricia’s Green at Fell and Octavia from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the Halloween Stroll and Trick or Treat Trail. Outdoor movie showing of “Inside Out 2” at 7 p.m.
Laurel Heights/ Presidio Heights
Commonwealth Avenue and Jordan Avene between California and Geary are closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Iris Avenue between Mayfair and Euclid is closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Lake Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues is closed to traffic from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Lower Haight
Waller Street between Steiner and Scott is closed to cars from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Marina
Avila Street between Chestnut and Prado is closed to traffic from p.m. to 9 p.m.
Midtown Terrace
Dellbrook Ave from Olympia to Olympia (no, that’s not a typo) is closed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
NoPa
Grove between Baker and Central is closed to traffic from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Lyon between Fulton and Hayes is closed to traffic from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
North Beach
Leavenworth between Filbert and Lombard is closed to cars from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Outer Mission
Fair Oaks between 22nd and 26th is closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Outer Sunset
36th Ave between Quintara and Rivera is closed to traffic from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
42nd and 43rd Ave between Judah and Kirkham are closed to traffic from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
45th Ave between Pacheco and Quintara is closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
St. Francis Wood
Terrace Drive between Portola and Santa Clara is closed to traffic from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunnyside
Hearst between Edna and Congo is closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Visitacion Valley
Sunnydale Avenue between Sawyer and Hahn is closed to traffic from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
San Francisco, CA
Castro Castle preserving SF's cannabis history facing uncertain future
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — From the outside, the bright exterior of the so-called Castro Castle might look like several homes in this notoriously colorful neighborhood.
But go inside, and you’ll experience a living piece of San Francisco history.
John Entwistle lives in the house he previously shared with his husband Dennis Peron.
Peron, who died in 2018, was a prominent cannabis activist.
In the 90s, he co-authored the proposition that would legalize medical marijuana in California, and ultimately became credited with changing the political debate about cannabis around the country.
Over the years, Entwistle and others have turned a portion of the home into a museum honoring Peron’s legacy.
MORE: A closer look at the state of CA’s cannabis industry: progress vs. ongoing challenges
“Showing some of the 50 years of struggle. From the dark days when they would put you in jail for 10 years for giving a guy two joints, to today where you can legally buy it in most cities in America,” Entwistle said.
But Entwistle says the museum is facing an uncertain future.
After years of living there, Entwistle – who doesn’t own the home – says it’s likely he’ll soon have to leave.
He says the owners are planning to sell.
As a result, he’s looking for a new home for the cannabis museum, something he calls an important piece of American and San Francisco history.
“People come here looking to find out this story. They want to find out what happened here. That is a big part of San Francisco history,” Entwistle said.
VIDEO: At age 76, ‘Mama Sue’ making history as 1st and only Black woman to own Berkeley cannabis dispensary
Sue Taylor also known as “Mama Sue” brings cannabis to seniors as she celebrates her Berkeley-based Black-owned businesses for Black History Month.
Peron’s brother, Brian, supports Entwistle’s plan to preserve his brother’s legacy.
The pair tell me they’re hoping to ultimately move the museum into a space downtown. A place where visitors can learn about the history of cannabis and San Francisco’s role in changing how the nation views it.
“Dennis changed the face of marijuana. People used to think it was just a bunch of hippies. But then he showed that there were old people who needed it also and that it wasn’t just a recreational thing but it was a medicine,” Brian said.
While marijuana has been fully legal in California since 2016, Entwistle believes there’s still more work to be done in other parts of the country.
That’s why he’s hoping one day this collection will serve as a lesson in hope.
“That’s the goal, is to inspire more people to do more things to make the world a better place,” Entwistle said.
Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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