Gavin newsom

Yes, the Transbay transit center opened last August with a $2.16 billion price tag — and then was closed 10 months because of two cracked girders. No, there’s no telling when or whether we’ll see the train extension that’s central to the building’s mission. Neither detail changes the fact that as a work of civic architecture, the three-block-long structure is a spirit-lifting success with its white metal veil and green rooftop park. It’s a visual treat that functions well, the low-slung centerpiece of San Francisco’s new high-rise zone. There are aesthetic flaws, as is inevitable with such an ambitious structure, and the fiasco of the cracked girders above Fremont Street clouds the building’s reputation. In the long run, though, the transit center represents what 21st century urban infrastructure should be — public works that do their job while enhancing the larger public realm. Which is a far cry from what it replaced, the Transbay … [Read more...] about Park-topped Transbay transit center pays architectural dividends, past troubles aside

Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Thursday, Dec. 5, and the kids — the seniors of the class of 2020 — are all right. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Eau de Mary Jane Alexis Bronson has been selling marijuana since long before it was legalized. Growing up, he and his family bounced between single-room-occupancy hotels in San Francisco and the East Bay. He took to selling weed in high school to supplement his family’s meager income. After a career in medicinal marijuana, Bronson has secured one of San Francisco’s equity permits and wants to open “an inviting, well-lit, boutique cannabis outlet” with no on-site consumption. But he’s run into a major problem: his neighbors. Since the spring of 2018, Bronson and his businesses partners have been working to transform a vacant storefront on Geary Street in the heart of San Francisco’s posh Union Square into a high-end cannabis store. Two companies on either side of the … [Read more...] about Bay Briefing: No cannabis in the ‘luxury zone’

Before California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon even knew that Kamala Harris, his preferred candidate, had backed out of the presidential race, his phone was buzzing with a surrogate from one of her rivals to gauge his interest in endorsing. By day’s end, he’d heard from three other campaigns. “Tom Steyer tried to reach out,” Rendon, a Democrat from Lakewood, said of the billionaire activist, “but apparently he had the wrong number.” (They eventually connected Wednesday.)The instantaneous scramble for Democratic presidential candidates to bolster their California support after Harris’ sudden departure on Tuesday added to the uncertainty in the lead-up to the state’s March 3 primary. Four different candidates have led in Golden State polls over the course of the campaign, and two billionaires, Steyer and recent entrant Michael R. Bloomberg, have the capacity to shake the standings up further by blanketing the state with TV ads.Harris, … [Read more...] about Kamala Harris’ exit from the presidential race has Democratic rivals rushing to capitalize in California