San Francisco, CA
SF's Embarcadero Plaza to get $35 million facelift funded by private-public partnership
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The Embarcadero Plaza along San Francisco’s waterfront is set to undergo a $35 million facelift.
On Thursday night, a community meeting kicked off to get input from residents for the redesign of the plaza.
Supporters say the project will pump new energy into a space that badly needs it. They say now is the time to transform the Embarcadero Plaza into a world-class hub that connects the Ferry Building to downtown San Francisco and brings visitors back to the city’s core.
But others question the cost and the timing.
The Embarcadero Plaza, at the foot of Market Street by the Ferry Building, has seen much better days.
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“It’s dilapidated. It has sunken brick. It has a fountain that hasn’t worked in a decade,” said San Francisco Supervisor Danny Sauter.
“The fountain used to be on. It used to be a lot more lively out here,” said Michalea Manuel, a Bay Area resident.
“It’s in such poor condition. We can’t do much out there,” said Phil Ginsburg, the general manager of San Francisco Recreation and Parks.
And that’s why there’s a big push by city leaders to renovate the plaza.
“So, it’s not a welcoming space right now. But this project is going to change that,” Sauter said.
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San Francisco supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to green light a $35 million plan to renovate the downtown park.
“It’s going to have beautiful new green space. It’s going to have kiosks for retail. It’s going to have a new stage for musicians. It’s going to have public art,” Sauter said.
While some people would love to see a new and improved park…
“I would spend the money to make the fountain run again,” said Karen Calbert of San Francisco.
Some people wonder if that’s the best use of funds right now.
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City museums like the de Young and the Legion of Honor have to scale back their hours because of the city budget deficit. National parks are cutting staff and services.
“I like to see them to use the money to clean up the city before I see the money going to a new park or any new fountains or anything,” said Bay Area resident Manuel.
Sauter explained where the money for the project is coming from.
“Ten-million dollars from private donors, $15-to-20 million from public sources, and most of this money will be coming from a public bond: Proposition B. It’s a bond voters passed in the fall. There’s money in the bond specifically for parks and plazas,” he said.
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It’ll be a public-private partnership, with funds donated by real estate developer BXP and others.
The Downtown SF Partnership and BXP also plan to raise millions of dollars.
Phil Ginsburg, the general manager of SF’s Recreation and Parks, emphasizes that the money won’t come from city funds.
“This project has the benefit of at least $15 million in philanthropy. That’s why it’s such a good opportunity for us, because we get to leverage the public money we are investing and make it go so much further, because we are in difficult times,” Ginsburg said, adding that this is a cost-effective, win-win approach for renovating a public space.
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SAN FRANCISCO – Pro volleyball will soon be coming to San Francisco and this latest team is part of a surge of women’s sports.
League One Volleyball officially launched this year with six teams. Now the league has announced it’s expanding to nine teams, and that one of those expansion teams will be based in the city by the bay.
Three-time Olympic volleyball medalist Kelsy Robinson Cook is on the ownership team for LOVB San Francisco, bringing professional volleyball to the city. “Can tell you it’s going to be amazing,” said Robinson Cook. “Then, when you bring in the fandom of the Bay Area and SF I think personally it’s going to make for an incredible atmosphere.”
Team ownership said starting a team in the Bay Area is a natural with colleges and universities in the region turning out top talent. “It’s the number one sport for women and girls and I think that just speaks volumes as to where we’re headed, not only in club and college, but professionally,” said Robinson Cook.
Pro women’s volleyball is part of a growing list of professional women’s sports teams calling San Francisco and the Bay Area home.
The women’s professional baseball league announced plans for a team in San Francisco. Bay FC and the Golden State Valkyries are already proving there is a market for professional women’s sports.
When pro-volleyball was looking to expand, San Francisco was a natural choice. “You’re seeing Bay FC, the Valkyries, the success that they have, and this market loves sports, and they’ve also proven they love women’s sports,” said Robinson Cook.
San Francisco leaders said the city has already proven that it supports pro-women’s teams, and will welcome professional volleyball. Mayor Daniel Lurie pointed to the city’s rich sports history and enthusiasm to support the home teams. “Now, as we saw with the Valkyries selling out every single home game last year, there is an appetite, there is a fan base, and this new league understands that,” said Mayor Lurie.
At this time, there are still a lot of questions up in the air, including exactly where LOVB San Francisco will play. Organizers say they have a lot of plans in the works to get the team ready to bump, set and spike starting in January 2027.
(KRON) — The South San Francisco Police Department released video Thursday showing what led up to two officers shooting a man who authorities said was armed with a knife.
On December 8 at around 5:10 a.m., police arrived at the 900 block of Sandra Court on the report of a man under the influence of drugs and making threats to kill himself. When officers made contact with the man, identified as 28-year-old Luis Francisco-Manzo, he initially complied with orders, authorities said.
Officer-worn body camera video shows Francisco-Manzo walking toward officers in the entrance hallway of an apartment complex with his arms raised. A small dog barks as officers give repeated commands. Suddenly, Francisco-Manzo appears in the entranceway next to officers as one calls out, “He’s got a knife.”
Officer Brendan Hart, who has been with SSFPD for eight years, fired a Taser at Francisco-Manzo, but it did not have the intended effect, police said.
Four gunshots are heard in the body camera video. Police said Officer Hart and Officer Martin Corona were the officers who discharged their weapons. Officer Corona has seven years of law enforcement experience with over four years at SSFPD.
Francisco-Manzo was transported to the hospital in critical condition. On Thursday, authorities said he continues to recover in the hospital. No officers were injured in the incident.
The police shooting remains under investigation by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
SAN FRANCISCO – A hit-and-run crash in San Francisco on Wednesday evening left a pedestrian dead.
Driver fled scene
What we know:
According to the San Francisco Police Department, the crash happened around 6:05 p.m. in the 5500 block of Mission Street. The driver fled the scene after striking the pedestrian.
The victim died at the scene.
Officers have not yet provided a description of the suspect vehicle involved in the incident.
No further details were immediately released.
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