SF Works

In this episode: 0:57: Waymos failed en masse during the December city-wide power outage, blocking traffic and getting in the way of first responders. Until recently, the company didn’t admit they had almost 1,600 stalled vehicle incidents in one day. 1:52: The power outage’s cause was a fire owing to faulty equipment at a PG&E substation at Mission & 8th—not the first time a fire there has caused...

In this episode: Lurie’s early tenure: budget “chops”, Labubus, and a surprising IG game; creative coffee drinks for actual coffee lovers 1:39: A recap and assessment of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first six months in office, based on how he’s handled the City budget, homelessness, crime, business, and communications. 2:19: Lurie and the Board of Supervisors just came to terms on the City’s budget, closi...

In this episode: SF Centre is dying, but Stonestown Galleria is on the come up; my most-consumed pastry 1:28: I recently bought my wedding suit at SF Centre, making me a rare customer at the dying mall frequently cited in “doom loop” narratives about downtown 2:49: Visits to SF Centre have plunged, and in the past few years, retailers have stampeded for the exits 4:29: Housing? College campus? Soc...

In this episode: The new mayor gets “unprecedented” powers; a novel approach to affordable housing; incredible smashburgers 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” 3:29: Corruption is a touchy subject in SF government; in 2020, the FBI...

In this episode: 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 0:55: Daniel Lurie is off to a fast start as mayor, helping resolve a hotel strike, leading steet cleanups, and delivering an inauguration speech full of “hard truths” 4:26: California’s new “daylighting” law hasn’t been well-communicated; make sure you don’t rack up tick...

In this episode: On August 1, 2024, Mayor London Breed signed San Francisco’s latest two-year balanced budget, a plan to both spend and take in >$15.5B annually. Just over four months later, a City report reveals that we’re already way off—now facing an $876 million deficit! To close that gap, incoming Mayor Daniel Lurie will have to oversee spending cuts that could have a significant effect on al...

In this episode : An intro to SF Works; the role of the Mayor and Board of Supervisors; an incredible Mission sandwich spot * 1:16 — Why I started this podcast, and what I hope we can do together * 4:20 — My request to listeners: please connect me with potential podcast guests * 4:54 — The role of the San Francisco mayor, and Daniel Lurie is taking over from London Breed next month * 7:29 — The ro...