In this episode:
1:13: The Trump-Musk horrorshow has made it difficult to focus on local issues, but in the first two months of Mayor Lurie’s term, he has picked up sweeping new powers via a “fentanyl emergency ordinance”
3:30: Corruption is a touchy subject in SF government; in 2020, the FBI arrested a city department head (and one-time romantic interest of the prior mayor) who raked in huge bribes from private contractors
4:24: Lurie said he’d spread responsibility for providing social sevices across the city; so far, the Tenderloin and Bayview continue to shoulder the burden
5:44: The Tahanan affordable housing project was built far cheaper and quicker than typical SF construction—a deep dive into how that happened, how the building’s residents are faring now, and what this means for future housing construction
11:10: A number of superlative “indie” burger spots have kept the smashburger trend alive and well in SF; arguably the best of them is now anchoring a new food hall on Market St.
Some other things:
SF delays “daylighting” parking tickets, will paint curbs red. RIP, Turner’s Kitchen 😭. The Mission is the new Tenderloin. Jan 6 insurrectionist who impersonated an ICE agent at a Mission taqueria was “recently banned from the dating website OKCupid”. Lurie hanging with Josh Shapiro. Long-time Crips leader “Big U” rips off Draymond Green and other NBA players. All 50 BART stops in eight hours. Kamala for Governor? I yelled at my TV “‘Showplace Square’ is not a thing!”
Exhibits:
An incomplete list of sources for this episode:
Ezra Klein on Tahanan (NYT gift link)
“Guns and roaches: Inside the homeless housing Lurie is banking on”
Progress at 1633 Valencia (SF Chronicle gift link)
ICYMI:
Episode 3: “Homi-slide”: SF has a new mayor; a deep dive into the City’s 2024 crime statistics; a new pop-up’s modern take on pan dulce
Episode 2: “Follow the Money”: SF’s $876 million budget deficit shock; how the City gets revenue and spends money; a favorite casual Lebanese eatery
Episode 1: “The Mayor & the Supes”: An intro to SF Works; the role of the Mayor and Board of Supervisors; an incredible Mission sandwich spot
Programming note:
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