News For Reasonable People

The Windy City finds itself swept up in an unprecedented 38% spike in crime, under the watch of its latest helmsman, Mayor Brandon Johnson. As we enter a month since his election, Chicagoan's concerns continue to grow, their safety hangs in the balance, and the city's leadership seems to provide nothing more than lukewarm responses. Johnson's time in office, short as it is, already...

Police commissioners held a lengthy and testy probe with SFPD Chief Bill Scott on Wednesday night, questioning him over the mayor’s promise to arrest drug users and dealers through a recently announced unified command center.  The center, formally called the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center, was established Monday at an undisclosed location in Civic Center as a hub for agencies to strategize...

Welcome to the new reality of San Francisco, where even the joy of a sweet treat is safeguarded behind lock and key. Streets where once enthusiastic shoppers and tourists tread have been surrendered to the vagabond tide, its former vibrancy a shadow of the past. Empty storefronts, scant crowds, and desolate hotels paint a grim portrait of a city seemingly losing its battle against destitution and...

Unprecedented scenes of protest ensued at Dodger Stadium ahead of the Pride Night celebrations, as thousands flocked outside the venue. The participants had amassed to vent their dissatisfaction over the award to be presented to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. A group that some perceive as taking a dig at Catholic values by being men dressed as female nuns, the Sisters are at the center of qu...

Emerging from the hip, progressive corners of Seattle, the tale of Molly Moons, an ice cream parlour turned protest supporter, churns on. They were vocal backers of the Black Lives Matter movement, they endorsed defunding the police, and yet, they're suing the city for losses endured during the CHOP protests. How does one reconcile that? Well, it seems the parlour might just be serving two fl...

As Beege pointed out earlier this week, the owners of Westfield Mall in downtown San Francisco have announced that they’ll be giving the property over to the lender. The mall had already lost Nordstoms last month and this week the Cinemark movie theater also announce it was closing. In fact, today is the theater’s last day. The Cinemark movie theater complex sent an email to its customers announci...

During Thursday’s Portland Business Alliance meeting between politicians and business executives, Mayor Ted Wheeler hinted at a plan to ban open drug use in the city. “We’ll also be announcing in the near future a partner, time, place and manner restriction focusing on open drug use in the city of Portland and I believe this will help us get at the withering fentanyl crisis that we’re also experie...

As "retail experts" point out a hopeful forecast of recovery for downtown San Francisco and Westfield Mall by 2024, a hearty laugh ensues from real estate aficionados who are privy to the ground reality. Picture this - Westfield Mall, once the crown jewel of downtown San Francisco, now echoes with the whispers of abandonment. Nordstrom has shut down, leaving a glaring vacancy, while the...

San Francisco Mayor London Breed's verbal sparring match with a city official over the role of police in fighting the drug crisis could signal a tone shift, according to one cautiously-optimistic activist. "It sent a message, I think, to San Franciscans that the age of this kind of Democratic Socialist, radical politicking in San Francisco is coming to an end," recovering addict-tur...

Business closures continue in downtown San Francisco as the city's retail and commercial property market struggles, with AT&T joining a long list of companies that have recently shut down their flagship stores in the City by the Bay. The telecommunications giant has told the San Francisco Standard that it will be closing its flagship store in Union Square, in the city's downtown, on...

The ongoing outflow from Portland has been highlighted in a new report from international real estate firm Colliers. This comprehensive study depicts a grim near-term scenario, with escalating downtown office vacancies and a significant shift in money flow as individuals and businesses retreat from the city center. The causes for these dramatic shifts, the report suggests, are deep-rooted issues l...

An ABC News reporter admitted he was advised against appearing live in downtown San Francisco for his "Good Morning America" segment due to the rise in crime on Wednesday. Chief national correspondent Matt Gutman reported on the news that Westfield Mall would be shutting down, one of the latest in a series of major store closings in the city. Though the shopping center cited a decline in...

Convention bookers are choosing cities such as Las Vegas for events rather than San Francisco due to the crime and homelessness that are rife in the City by the Bay.  That is one of the main reasons that the city's lodging industry continues to struggle in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic with revenue close to 23 percent lower per available room than it was in 2019, reports the Wall Street J...

At a San Francisco Chamber of Commerce breakfast last month, Mayor London Breed made a curious pitch for the future of the troubled Westfield San Francisco Centre in Downtown. “We have to look at Westfield mall, not as a mall losing stores, which probably most people didn't even shop in, but as a place ripe for reimagining from science to technology to lab space,” Breed said.  She echoed thos...

Just two days after Westfield said it would give up its Downtown San Francisco Centre, the shopping mall’s movie theater has announced it will close this week. The Cinemark movie theater complex sent an email to its customers announcing its final films would play Thursday, and the complex would close on Friday. In a statement to The Standard, Cinemark confirmed the decision to permanently close th...

The ongoing plight of Washington D.C's economic engine struggles as countless federal workers settle into the comforts of home, possibly forever. With their withdrawal, the capital's central offices are left echoing emptily, the vibrant hum of industry reduced to a ghostly silence. While teleworking was a government-enforced solution during the pandemic, it appears to have evolved into a...

In an event that could be aptly described as a commercial real estate 'doom loop', the owner of San Francisco's largest mall has thrown in the towel. With a notable absence of fanfare, the keys of the once-thriving establishment were handed back to the lender. Struggling under a staggering 45% vacancy rate and the relentless pull of a downward spiral, the owners decided that the pro...

Cracker Barrel has recently made headlines by taking a surprising and controversial step. In honor of Pride Month, they posted an image of a rainbow rocking chair on their social media channels, veering away from their traditional conservative values. This abrupt pivot into social progressiveness has led to considerable backlash, particularly among their long-standing patron base who are known for...

In an unexpected twist, Skillz, the popular mobile gaming and eSports company, has decided to quit its San Francisco headquarters for a shiny new one in Las Vegas. Skillz, best known for their pioneering efforts to monetize mobile games through online tournaments, hasn't been particularly vocal about their departure. However, one can't help but wonder if the company's close proximit...

In a contentious 5-4 decision, the Seattle City Council rejected a new law that would have allowed for drug possession to be prosecuted as a gross misdemeanor, providing another chapter in the city's ongoing struggles with drug addiction and crime. The decision, which has triggered a wave of disappointment from critics, essentially keeps drugs decriminalized in the city despite the rapid spre...

With a daring sweep of the gavel, the Portland City Council imposed a new ordinance that bans daytime camping in public areas from 8 AM to 8 PM. Is this a sincere attempt to reclaim public spaces or a half-hearted way to appease the concerns of Portlanders about the increasing issue of homelessness, particularly in regards to crime and drug use? The legislation feels akin to a band-aid placed over...

In a disquieting move, Florida's state-run insurance company, Citizens, is poised to drop thousands of homeowners' policies. Initiated as an insurer of last resort in 2002 due to frequent hurricanes causing extensive property damage, the firm now predicts it will have to continually reduce its coverage in the wake of potential insolvency if a significant hurricane strikes. As a workaroun...

San Francisco's downtown office tower market seems to be a falling deck of cards. An example? A high-rise in the heart of the financial district is on the brink of selling for less than half its value 18 years ago. No, that's not a misprint. The 13-story tower at 550 California Street, currently owned by Wells Fargo, is set to go for around $42.6 million. A stunning drop from its $108 mi...

San Francisco's largest hotel, the Hilton Union Square, was surrendered to the bank by the owner, Park Hotels and Resorts, who pointedly stated that it's time for the lender to "reimagine and rethink" their ownership. One could argue that this statement is as surreal as a Dali painting, brimming with irony and subtle jabs at the city's current situation. The hotel's o...

California's Senate has just made a questionable move, shifting gears in an unprofitable direction. Their latest legislation restricts store employees from intervening in instances of shoplifting, a strategy they believe will prevent violence in the workplace. Unfortunately, this seemingly "safe" law seems to be paving the way for an open invitation to thieves. A policy that essenti...