{"id":32616,"date":"2024-04-02T12:33:25","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T19:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=32616"},"modified":"2024-04-02T12:33:26","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T19:33:26","slug":"armed-troops-in-the-tenderloin-plus-is-sf-really-pro-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/02\/armed-troops-in-the-tenderloin-plus-is-sf-really-pro-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"Armed troops in the Tenderloin? Plus: Is SF really \u2018pro-housing \u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&#8230; And if we can&#8217;t trust Boeing or big shipping companies, why are we trusting the makers of robo-vehicles?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/author\/tim\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/author\/tim\/\">TIM REDMOND<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MARCH 31, 2024 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark Farrell, who is trying to run to the right of Mayor London Breed on crime (and that means he\u2019s running, as Larry David would say, \u201cpretty, pretty far\u201d to the right), now say he&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2024\/03\/28\/farrell-calls-for-armed-national-guard-troops-in-san-francisco-to-fight-fentanyl\/\">wants armed National Guard troops in the Tenderloin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Star Trek envisioned this concept 30 years ago. Check it out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2024 After Trump&#039;s Presidency (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j6RipowYUV8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Just use rifles and tactical gear and either put everyone in jail, which doesn\u2019t work because there is no room, or corral them in a special zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seriously: this is a discussion of public policy in San Francisco today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"760\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1-1024x760.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-32618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1-1024x760.png 1024w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1-150x111.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1-768x570.png 768w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1-202x150.png 202w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1.png 1046w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Mark Farrell wants to bring in the National Guard. SFBOS photo.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My sister flew out to visit this week<\/strong>, and when she told me her flight times, she made clear that she\u2019s on an Airbus, not a Boeing plane. I get it: Although the odds of a fatal aviation accident are still very low (you\u2019re way more likely to be killed driving to the airport), the news about what was once among the premier engineering companies in the world is bleak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How could this happen? It\u2019s pretty simple, and it\u2019s likely the same reason the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed in Baltimore\u2014and the reason that a lot of us are really nervous about robotaxis and robotrucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/30\/business\/boeing-safety-financial-performance.html\">The New York Times said in January<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Some aviation experts and executives have long said Boeing\u2019s safety problems and its financial performance are intertwined. The company, these people say, has for many years put too much emphasis on increasing profits and enriching shareholders with dividends and share buybacks, and not enough on investing in engineering and safety.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Large investors that seek quick returns own a significant amount of Boeing stock. The majority of Airbus stock is owned by European governments, who have always seen it as something of a public service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a piece called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/portal.independentmediainstitute.org\/2024\/03\/29\/corporate-profiteering-destroyed-the-baltimore-bridge\/\">Corporate profiteering destroyed the Baltimore Bridge<\/a>,\u201d Sonali Kolhatkar notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>The Dali, operated by shipping giant&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/ship-that-collided-with-baltimore-bridge-was-chartered-by-maersk-2024-03-26\/\">Maersk<\/a>, was carrying more than&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/68691201\">800 tons<\/a>&nbsp;of corrosive and flammable materials. Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg likened the 95,000-ton ship to an aircraft carrier and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/27\/us\/baltimore-bridge-collapse.html\">New York Times<\/a>&nbsp;explained that \u201cWhen the bridge was built, cargo ships were not the size they are today.\u201d In fact, such ships have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/30\/business\/economy\/container-ships-suez-canal.html\">grown steadily<\/a>&nbsp;in size over the past few decades. One economist told the Times that shipping companies \u201cdid what they thought was most efficient for themselves\u2014make the ships big\u2014and they didn\u2019t pay much attention at all to the rest of the world.\u201d This in turn has forced nations to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/the_americas\/an-expanded-panama-canal-opens-for-giant-ships\/2016\/06\/26\/11a93574-37d1-11e6-af02-1df55f0c77ff_story.html\">expand waterways<\/a>&nbsp;to accommodate the behemoths, often at the expense of the public.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The ship was also running on something called \u201cbunker oil,\u201d the lowest grade of fuel that exists, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/dali-contaminated-fuel-scrutiny-baltimore-key-bridge-collapse-rcna145478\">it\u2019s often contaminated<\/a>&nbsp;with other industrial waste, dumped into the fuel as cheap way of getting rid of the nasty stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Kolhatkar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>An unsafe aircraft is not an aircraft, it\u2019s a death trap. And yet, within a capitalist framework, everything boils down to a cost-benefit analysis. If the cost of safety for companies like Boeing or Maersk outweighs the financial benefits, it\u2019s simply not worth it for executives and shareholders.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>So \u2026 soon we are going to have trucks on the roads, with 80,000 pounds of cargo, with no human being at the controls. Soon there will be thousands of robot cars driving through San Francisco, with no human being at the controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the safety features will be determined by people who (like pretty much everyone in the tech business) are driven almost entirely by the desire for profits and return for the investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States, and cities like San Francisco, used to strictly regulate public services like airline travel, shipping, and taxis. The United States also used to tax corporate profits and capital gains at a level that was a hedge against greed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we have this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Mayor\u2019s Office is asking the Board of Supes<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfgov.legistar.com\/View.ashx?M=F&amp;ID=12777481&amp;GUID=E32718CF-2F22-4B48-9C64-8D1C063A59E2\">for permission to apply to the state for a \u201cProhousing Designation Program<\/a>.\u201d This is part of the Gavin Newsom-Scott Wiener plan to reward cities that eliminate \u201cobstacles\u201d to private developers making money building housing most of the local workforce can\u2019t afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the legislation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>WHEREAS, The City has adopted a Housing Element that complies with California Government Code, Section 65585(h); and WHEREAS, The City is in compliance with applicable state housing laws; and WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco, acting by and through the Mayor\u2019s Office of Housing and Community Development (\u201cCity\u201d), desires to submit to the Department an application for a Prohousing Designation on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. 240269 (\u201cApplication\u201d).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The Land Use and Transportation Committee will consider the application&nbsp;<strong>Monday\/1.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I suspect this will not be controversial: Everyone wants the city to get all of the benefits possible from the state, and \u201cprohousing\u201d comes with extra money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I will say, for the permanent record, that the Housing Element is a farce, a fraud, and everyone with any sense knows it. The measure calls for (and state law mandates) 46,000 units of affordable housing. Not one person at City Hall, or in the Planning Department, or anywhere in the known universe,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/2023\/01\/why-it-makes-sense-for-stakeholders-to-sue-the-city-for-failing-its-affordable-housing-goals\/\">has any plan to finance or build that much non-market housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nobody with any sense&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/2023\/01\/how-the-state-of-california-is-screwing-san-francisco-on-housing\/\">can argue that the city can possibly meet the market-rate mandates, either<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are all just dancing around and pretending that something is going to happen, somehow, to solve a massive social problem&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/2023\/11\/the-profound-irony-of-the-apec-news-media-coverage\/\">created by the people who we are now counting on to solve it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That hearing starts at 1:30pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/about\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. We also invite you to join the conversation on our\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/48hills\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/48hills\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/48hillssf\/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/author\/tim\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/48hills.org\/author\/tim\/\">Tim Redmond<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8230; And if we can&#8217;t trust Boeing or big shipping companies, why are we trusting the makers of robo-vehicles? By TIM REDMOND MARCH 31, 2024 (MissionLocal.org) Mark Farrell, who is trying to run to the right of Mayor London Breed on crime (and that means he\u2019s running, as Larry David&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/02\/armed-troops-in-the-tenderloin-plus-is-sf-really-pro-housing\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32619,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32616\/revisions\/32619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}