San Francisco, CA
Two-Storey House ‘Floats’ Across San Francisco Bay. No, We Are Not Joking – News18
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A slow tow boat helped the floating house make its journey across Alcatraz Island. (Photo Credits: X)
The boat was reportedly one of several dozen that were forced to leave their homes along a San Mateo County waterway.
On the day of the Solar Eclipse, another strange event occured in San Francisco, USA. People were captivated by the sight of a two- storey house, which was actually a houseboat, drifting over San Francisco Bay. Naturally, everyone was curious about its origin and intended destination. Though its shingled exterior would have looked fine in any lush suburb, on April 8 it was lost to the sea. The boat was being carried through San Francisco Bay for the final leg of its two-day voyage from Redwood City to San Rafael. So, what is the storey behind this peculiar sail?
As people gathered to view the solar eclipse on Monday at San Francisco’s Exploratorium waterfront, a large wooden home in the centre of the bay caught their attention, according to a Fox 5 report. A slow tow boat helped the floating house make its journey across Alcatraz Island.
I saw someone towing a house while crossing the San Francisco Bay today. Where do I go to learn more? Is this the next trend? pic.twitter.com/0yMH0mO366— Patrick Collison (@patrickc) April 8, 2024
The boat, according to the San Francisco Standard, was reportedly one of several dozen that were forced to leave their homes along a San Mateo County waterway after the city was compelled to do so following a lengthy legal battle. The once-vibrant houseboat community of over 100 inhabitants at the marina had diminished due to evictions compelled by litigation from surrounding residents.
When it finally made it to its new location at the Commodore Marina in Sausalito, this specific houseboat was the second last to leave Redwood City. According to Sausalito local Phil Hott, the weather and tide conditions made the laborious journey across the bay take longer than anticipated.
It went up an intricate canal, which meant you had to time the tide correctly and come down without the wind knocking you against the shore, he told NBC Bay Area.
“These things are very heavy. Then it has to travel through the bay. And the winds and the tide change, and the current is going out. You don’t want it to drag you out to the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Longtime residents of Redwood City’s Docktown hamlet bemoaned to local media the departure of individual houseboats during the past few years. Since 1986, Edward Stancil has resided in Docktown. Last year, he told ABC7, “I just can’t stand it because every day another boat goes out, another boat goes out. And it’s just very sad to see affordable housing being crushed. You know?”
Stancil went on to say that, given his circumstances, his retirement income is insufficient to cover the cost of renting a home in Silicon Valley. All of the tenants who are still here, he claimed, simply want to stay, not get money. In October, Redwood City offered Stancil and the four surviving Docktown residents a payment of around $85,000 (Over Rs 70 lakh) in exchange for their consent to relocate, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post. Others received payments totalling up to $190,000 (Over Rs 1.58 crore).
Additionally, Redwood City paid out more than $1.5 million (Over Rs 12 crore) to resolve a complaint filed by many anonymous residents alleging improper use of state property.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Mission Bay coffee shop deals with break-ins as it seeks to open
A coffee shop in San Francisco’s Mission Bay hasn’t even opened yet, but has dealt with at least two break-ins over a 24-hour span.
The owners though say it’s not going to deter them from opening their business and hopes their plan will help drive some of the crime away.
Owners of Silicon Valley Coffee got a taste of how businesses are struggling with crime in San Francisco. On Sunday, Matt Baker and Vance Bjorn came in to work on their new store but ended up finding two people on their property with needles scattered everywhere.
The owners called police, officers talked to the suspects, but didn’t make any arrests.
“Little disappointed, little shaken up,” Baker told CBS News Bay Area. “We went home and came back the next morning just to find that we were robbed and everything we had back there was gone. Including our, ironically enough, our brand new security system.”
The incident might have scared off other business owners but not these two.
“We want to work with the community, with the local representation and work with them to find solutions so that other businesses don’t have to go through this,” he said. “We’re putting a lot on the line out here to redo this space and that was a big setback for us.”
When Baker and Bjorn say they’re putting a lot on the line, they mean it. They are pouring in their money to open up this location on 4th Street, knowing that they will have to close when developers decide to break ground on a towering complex with about a thousand rental units. This maybe a temporary site for Silicon Valley Coffee but it’s a project the owners couldn’t say no to.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” said Baker. “It’s not every day an entire coffee shop, a restaurant, a giant patio in a prime location just lands in your feet and they ask you, can you help to make it better.”
So not only are they committed to seeing their business grow, they’re hoping their business will revitalize the area.
“We really think that the best way to solve these issues is by making this corner vibrant again,” Bjorn said to CBS News Bay Area.
The old site of the Creamery is not the only part getting a facelift. These signs of stores closing will come down, the area will be cleaned up and lights will be put up to make this corner of 4th and Townsend more inviting. Baker and Bjorn are determined to make a difference, one cup at a time.
“Coffee is about community,” said Bjorn. “Historically coffee shops have brought people together and this neighborhood needs to be brought together.”
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco coffee shop broken into before opening doors
A new coffee show in San Francisco has yet to open its doors, but it is already dealing with crime concerns.
The owners of Silicon Valley Company said someone broke into the property twice in a matter of days.
“The property has been neglected for the last five years, so we knew we were going to have challenges renovating it,” said Matt Baker, co-founder of Silicon Valley Coffee. “On Sunday, we got here and realized that our back gate had been smashed open and that there were people possibly on-site in one of the back condos.’
Baker and co-founder Vance Bjorn said they knew they would take on a big project revitalizing the space but didn’t expect the business to be broken into twice.
Christie Smith has the full report in the video above.
San Francisco, CA
Suspect Arrested For San Francisco Homicide
HAYWARD, CA — A Hayward man was arrested by police in San Francisco on suspicion of a fatal shooting in the Tenderloin in October, the department said.
On Oct. 30 just after 6 p.m., a man was shot in the area of Ellis and Jones streets and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators identified 22-year-old Michael Javius as the suspect and arrested him on Dec. 12. Search warrants were issued for residences in San Francisco, Hayward and Antioch, police said, and evidence related to the shooting was seized.
Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Javius was booked into jail on suspicion of homicide, conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact.
Although an arrest has been made, this is an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.
Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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